NEW YEARS BASH AND HOLIDAY TREATS!!

It has become a family tradition that we throw a New Years Eve or Day bash with friends over. There's lots of kids, noise, games, laughter and most of all....FOOD!!! Here are some of our favorite things to have. I'm sure most of them you know so I won't put a recipe with everything, just those that might be a little new or unusual.
Have a GREAT night and or day and remember to be safe. Make realistic goals for the New Year, that's my motto. ("What's a motto....nothin', what's a motto with you?")

BBQ Weenies
7 layer dip
7 layer salad
Teriyaki wings OR
honey Lime Wings
Chicken Salad Won Tons
Deviled Eggs
Spinach Dip & Veggies
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Cheese Ball & Crackers
Ham & Rolls


7 LAYER SALAD

If you have a Trifle bowl, it is best prepared in that
Layer 1- lettuce
layer 2 - Thawed peas
layer 3 - Mayonnaise spread over first 2
layer 4 - Chopped boiled eggs
layer 5 - Chopped tomatoes (I don't like tomatoes so I substitute green onions)
layer 6 - Crumbled cooked bacon
layer 7 - Grated Cheddar Cheese

TERIYAKI WINGS

One LARGE package of Wings
1 bottle Yoshida Gourmet Sauce

Place wings and 1/2 bottle of sauce in a crock pot on High for 3 hours. (Note, if you enjoy this sauce, you can purchase a LARGE bottle of it at Sam's Club for about $8)

CHICKEN SALAD WON TONS
If you have a favorite recipe for Chicken salad, use it. Other wise try the following.
Boil chicken the night before and place in fridge. Next morning, chop or shred chicken. Mix with the following.

1/2 C. chopped celery
1/2 C. chopped green onions
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Mayonnaise (Amount is up to your own preference.)

If you have a SMALL cupcake pan, it works best. Place a single won ton wrapper in the cup cake holder. DO not fold down or trip, it will automatically make a small bowl. Bake them at 350 for about10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool and fill with your chicken salad.

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

MICROWAVE PEANUT BRITTLE

1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Grease a baking sheet, and set aside. In a glass bowl, combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook in microwave for 6 to 7 minutes on High (700 W); mixture should be bubbly and peanuts browned. Stir in butter and vanilla; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
2. Quickly stir in baking soda, just until mixture is foamy. Pour immediately onto greased baking sheet. Let cool 15 minutes, or until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1/2 C. Softened BUTTER (1 stick)
2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
3 C. Sifted Confectioner's Sugar
1 ENTIRE PACKAGE Chocolate Almond Bark

Place Almond Bark in med. sauce pan on LOW, repeat....LOW!!! Meanwhile, mix your Peanut Butter and Butter together. Once creamed, add in Powdered Sugar 1 C. at a time. Mixture should be thick. Once chocolate is fully melted, roll peanut butter mix into a small ball, walnut shape. Dip into chocolate. Use a spoon to roll it around to ensure fully covered. (Now is a good time to turn off your stove so the chocolate doesn't get too hot and begin to burn! If while rolling your chocolate gets lumpy, it is burning. Add a LITTLE bit of plain shortening to get the smooth texture back.) Place peanut butter ball on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Once sheet is full, place balls in the freezer for about 2 min. These will last longer IN THE FREEZER, unless of coarse you just CAN'T stay away from them like my family! Take one out, let sit for a couple minutes and it's perfect! If while rolling, the peanut butter mixture gets gooey; place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm back up.

Dec. 27 - Jan. 2nd 2010

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL & FILLING Christmas. The week of Christmas I didn't do a whole lot of cooking, mainly because I was busy doing other stuff to get READY for Christmas. It was a few nights of grilled sandwiches, hot dogs and what not.
I was HOPING to have some leftovers from my in laws for this weekend, but we all ate too much and didn't even get that! So, here's what I will HOPEFULLY be cooking this week!

MUSHROOM CHICKEN

1.5 lb. Chicken thighs
1 large can + 1 reg. can Cream
of Mushroom Soup
1 can Evaporated Milk
1/2 C. reg. milk
1/2 lb. (or more) fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 C. Whit wine (optional)

Place all ingredients in a crock pot on high for 3-3 1/2 hours. Serve over rice.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN & SHRIMP

It has always been a family tradition while growing up that on Christmas Eve, we went out for Chinese. It is a tradition I love to carry on....but the wallet doesn't always cooperate. So, I have learned to improvise.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb. small frozen shrimp (already cooked kind is easier)
2 C. shredded cabbage
1/2 onion sliced
1 C. shredded carrots
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms sliced
1 jar Kikkoman Teriyaki Glaze
2 Tbs. oil
1/2 C. Brown Sugar

Dice chicken into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. (you can marinade this for a while in a mixture of Soy Sauce, Sesame oil, a little Ground ginger and some Garlic powder) In a large frying pan or Wok, pour in oil and coat sides. Once heated on Med. Hi, pour in chicken and cook through; set aside. In same pan, add in all your veggies and saute on Med. heat. You don't want to FULLY cook these, you still want them a little crunchy. When done, place in a separate bowl. Add chicken back to pan and pour in your frozen shrimp. Place a lid on. The water from the frozen shrimp will create a thin sauce on the bottom of your pan. DO NOT OVERCOOK THESE SHRIMP. Add in the entire bottle of Teriyaki Glaze. Pour a little water in the bottle, shake it around to get remaining sauce out and pour into the pan as well. Toss meat and shrimp well to fully coat. Add in your brown sugar to sweeten. (add more according to own taste) If the sauce is too thin, thicken it up with a cornstarch and water mixture. Pour into separate bowl and serve with veggies over rice. (Yeah, we are a big rice eating family!)


SAUSAGE & SPINACH QUICHE

8 oz. mild sausage
1 C. torn fresh spinach
3 eggs, beaten
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 c. half and half
1 pie shell

Arrange pie shell in your pie dish and set aside. Cook sausage and drain grease. (You can also run warm water over the cooked sausage to get rid of extra grease) Place sausage, spinach and cheese in a bowl. Add eggs and half and half. Mix well and pour into pie shell and bake at 375 for 45 min. Serve immediately.


HAM & FUNEREAL POTATOES
For those of you who are not of the LDS religion, this might sound like a foreign dish. But like every church, it's one of those famous "Church recipes" that has been around for years!! Whenever there was a funeral, these potatoes were sure to be there for the luncheon for the family. Thus the name became "Funeral potatoes." In our house, we put just a little twist on it though.

1 bag frozen hash browns
1 large can Cream of mushroom soup
1 C. sour cream
1 C. milk
1 small chopped onion (Saute a little before you add in if you like)
1 tsp. pepper
1-2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, mix together soup, sour cream, onions and pepper. Mix in half the cheese and then fold in the frozen hash browns. Try to coat as evenly as possible. Pour into an 11x13 casserole dish and bake at 350 for approx. 45 min. Top off with remaining cheese the last 4 min.
THE WOOD TWIST: When we have leftover ham, I chop that up and add it into these potatoes. It's a complete meal and we just add a salad on the side. My boys inhale it like no tomorrow!

CHICKEN K-SO

My sister laughed at me when I told her the title of this one. She says I'm such a "white girl." This is an honest to goodness made up recipe and it turned out GREAT!!

6-7 Boneless Skinless chicken Breasts
1/2 can chicken broth
1 C. Tostito Queso cheese dip

Place ALL ingredients in a crock pot and cook oh high for 3-3 1/2 hours. (For me, it was cooking while we were at church, done by the time we got home!) Remove chicken and shred completely. Pour some of the cheese sauce from crock pot over the top. We used this and made soft tacos with it. Try eating it with Tortilla chips too....it's YUMMY!!!

Dec. 13- 18th

OK...CALL ME A SLACKER!! I have not been as diligent about keeping up with my recipes as I should have been. Please tell me your life gets hectic and that sometimes it's all you can do just to shower and get dressed! Two of my boys had birthdays over the past week and we were busy celebrating them. PLUS....I haven't done a ton of new and fun cooking, just a lot of easy boring stuff.
After watching Julie & Julia, I decided that I needed to get back to my blog PRONTO. Like her, I wonder if anyone really reads this or tries these recipes. I have one thing though that Julie didn't have.....CHILDREN!!! She was diligent and posted daily and tried new recipes for an entire year. Sorry folks, I can't commit to that. Doing so would also commit me to the looney bin!! SO, for those that have been waiting....(ARE there any that have been waiting??) I give you my weeks recipes!! :)


BAKED POTATO SOUP

6 C. water
3-4 chicken Boullion cubes
8-10 chopped red potatoes
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 PT 1/2 & 1/2
3 C. milk
1 TBS. dried parsley (fresh if you want)
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese
1-2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
6 strips crisp bacon

Add water, bouillion, onions and potatoes to pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are half way cooked. Add all other ingredients except bacon. Simmer soup until cheese is melted and potatoes are soft; but don't let them fall apart! Serve and top with crispy bacon.

BBQ PORK NACHOS
Cooked a small pork roast last night and shredded it. Now have all this WONDERFUL meat to do so many things with. Tonight we are doing BBQ Nachos. Here's how it goes! Line plate with tortilla chips, spread shredded pork over, pour on BBQ sauce, top with shredded cheddar cheese OR use cheese queso and then warm up in the microwave. EASY RIGHT?? My husband likes this as a meal AND a late night snack!

SPLIT PEA SOUP IN CROCK POT

2 c. DRIED split peas
1 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery & greens
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can chicken broth
2 C. water
3-4 ham hocks
2-3 C. chopped cooked ham

Place each ingredient in a crock pot except for chopped ham. DO NOT MIX. Place lid on and cook on low 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Remove ham hocks the last hour and replace with the cooked ham. Mix in well and add salt if needed. The natural salt from the ham hocks should add plenty.

BAKED PARMESAN CHICKEN

5-8 Chicken thighs with skin
Keebler Club crackers
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese
1-2 TBS. Garlic Salt
4 TBS. melted butter
2 C. Buttermilk

Crush crackers in a ziplock bag. Pour into bowl and add Parmesan Cheese and garlic salt. In separate bowl, pour milk and set aside. (If you don't have Buttermilk, pour 2C. milk in bowl with2 tsp. lemon juice and let sit for 5 min. WHALA....homemade Buttermilk) Preheat oven to 400 deg. Dip chicken in milk, then dip into cracker crumb mixture and coat well. Place in a glass dish. Drizzle melted butter over chicken and place in oven to bake for approx 45 min. or until juices run clear.


HONEY ROLLS
(With permission from my friend Angela, I give you the EASIEST ROLL RECIPE EVER! YES, you CAN make rolls)

1/4 C. really warm water
2 TBS. yeast (NOT those little Red Star Packets from the Store...BUY A BAG OF YEAST!!)
1 tsp. honey
MIX THESE FIRST AND SET ASIDE

1 3/4 C. milk heated until warm
ADD:
1/2 butter and melt
THEN ADD
2 large eggs
1/3 C. honey 3 tsp. salt
MIX WELL THEN ADD TO MIXING BOWL WITH YEAST MIXTURE

Mix in 6 1/2 C. flour 1 C. at a time. Dough should be slightly sticky to the touch but will not stick to your finger. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled. Tear off pieces of the dough and shape into a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size. Bake at 400 for 15-18 min. Remove and spread homemade honey butter over top or just plane butter. SEE, YOU CAN DO THIS!!

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

1 box large shells
1 lb. ground sweet sausage
2 lb. Ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
2 C. shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Boil shells until slightly firm. DO NOT OVER COOK THESE; they will finish cooking in the oven!
Cook sausage and set aside. In a bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, garlic salt, sausage and egg. Mix well and then spoon into the shells. Pour 1 C. of sauce in the bottom of an 11x13 dish. Place shells in dish. You will need to place these close together so they stand up. top off with the sauce and bake at 350 for 25 min. Sprinkle shredded cheese over and bake additional 8 min. Remove and serve.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
My husbands favorite thing at Thanksgiving is the sweet potatoes with the melted marshmallows. Personally, I've NEVER like that. In fact, I don't even like sweet potatoes!!! Until I tried this recipe! I thought it was FABULOUS and prefer making this around the Holidays instead!

4 cups sweet potato, cubed (or use 2 large cans sweet potatoes DRAINED)
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
4 TBS. butter softened
1/2 C. evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

TOPPING:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
3 TBS. butter
1/2 C. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. (OR Drain canned sweet potatoes and mash well) In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.In medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Nov. 16th -21st

CHINESE LEMON CHICKEN

Ingredients:
2 1/2lbs boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” cubes)
Marinade-
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
Batter-
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch white pepper
1 Tbs. milk
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
3 slices of lemon (peeled)
2 tablespoons oil
yellow food coloring (optional)

Step 1: Place cut chicken breast pieces into a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 2: To make the batter – beat 2 large eggs with 1/4 cup of cornstarch, a pinch of white pepper and baking powder. Coat the chicken with the batter.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees and deep-fry in batches until chicken is fully cooked. Drain on paper towels and set aside. You can also cook the chicken using a wok if you don’t have a deep fryer.
Step 4: Now, to make the lemon sauce – combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt (if using food coloring you can add it now). Mix until well combined and add 3 slices of lemon to the sauce mixture.
Step 5: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok and stir in the lemon sauce mixture and heat until well mixed and sauce becomes clear. Remove lemon slices and pour the sauce over the chicken and mix. Best served with rice.


AMY'S POUND CAKE

1 1/2 C. Butter
3 C. sugar
6 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 3/4 C. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 C. milk


In a large mixing bowl cream butter, add the sugar and mix well. Beat in eggs and vanilla on med. speed. In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Alternately add flour and milk to butter batter. Once batter is mixed well, pour into a greased and flour bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve with fresh strawberries or French Vanilla ice cream.


CHEATERS VERSION OF CHICKEN BROCCOLI ALFREDO

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken
1 small bag frozen broccoli florets cooked
2 boxes Pasta Roni Fetuccini Alfredo

Cut up chicken in 1" cubes and cook until done. Cook broccoli according to preference. Prepare pasta according to directions on back of box. Add chicken and broccoli the last 3 min. of cooking.



TASTY TURKEY MEATBALLS

I can HONESTLY say that I made this recipe up! It was simple and QUICK, just what I like!

2 rolls of Jenni-O Ground Turkey
1 roll Ground Pork Sausage
2 eggs
1 package turkey flavored stuffing
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Mix Turkey, Sausage, Stuffing and eggs together. With and ice cream scooper, scoop out meat and form into a ball. Place in 11x13 casserole dish. Once meatballs are done, if you have meat leftover, use it to add to the smaller size meatballs. This recipe will make 24 good sized meatballs. Place in oven and bake at 375 for 45 min. Remove dish from oven, pour jar of sauce over meatballs and sprinkle cheese on top. Place back in oven for additional 10 m in.


BROILED GARLIC ASPARAGUS

When I make this, I usually have to tell my boys "No more Asparagus until you eat the REST of your dinner." I know, sounds wrong huh!

1 lb. fresh Asparagus
3-4 Tbs. melted butter
Garlic Salt

Lay Asparagus evenly on a cookies sheet. Drizzle melted butter over and sprinkle generously with Garlic Salt. (I prefer the Lawreys Garlic Salt to all others) Place top oven rack on top setting and set oven to broil. Place asparagus in oven for3-4 min. Turn Asparagus over and return to oven for additional 3-4 min. Remove and serve. DELICIOUS!!


PUMPKIN SPICE RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Had a crazy idea and went with it, turned out pretty good! At Halloween time, Hershey Kisses came out with flavored Kisses, I bought the Pumpkin Spice one. While making the "normal" Rice Krispie Treats, I also melted the Kisses with the Marshmallows. They came out with a very subtle hint of pumpkin spice, perfect for Thanksgiving time! Experiment and try another flavor for your family!! My husband thought the idea sounded gross, then ate half the tray when they were done!!


KIDS RECIPE: TATER DOGS

2 cooked hot dogs
2 servings instant mashed potatoes
2 Tbs. shredded cheddar cheese

Quick and easy recipe my 6 year old LOVES to help make. Cut hot dogs length ways. Lay on plate open faced. (cut side up) Spread mashed potatoes over top and sprinkle with cheese. Place in microwave for a few seconds until cheese is melted. Serve and eat

Nov. 8th - 13th

Okay, so I'm back home and enjoying getting back to my regular routine. First things first, what do I have in my freezer and pantry that I can make for meals and what do I need to go shopping for? The rest of this week will be meals with stuff I already have. A few items might need to be purchased though.

CHICKEN ALFREDO SOUP

This is another favorite of my boys. (Not my husband though, he can't eat broccoli so I usually make it on a night when he has to work!)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken (I like the thighs for this one)
6 C. water
8 oz. angel hair pasta
6 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1/2 onion diced
3 C. milk
3 C. 1/2 & 1/2 (For thicker soup use real cream)
1 1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese
1 package frozen broccoli florets cooked
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. pepper

Cut up chicken and cook ahead of time. Set aside. In large soup pot over Med-Hi heat, pour in water& bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add onions and pasta; cook for 2 min. Add milk, cream, seasonings & chicken. Mix well and let heat up for approx. 5 min. Add cheese and broccoli. Let simmer until cheese is fully melted, about 15 min. Serve immediately but be sure to have spoons and forks to eat this with! French bread on the side goes great!


HAM & BEAN SOUP

1 1/2 lb. dried Navy Beans
7-8 C. water
1 pkg. Ham Hocks
1/2 onion chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped (optional)
1 Tbs. salt (approx.)
2 C. chopped cooked ham
2 tsp. pepper

Pour beans in a dish and pick out any rocks or broken pieces. Pour into large soup pot with water. Add onions and Ham Hocks and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to Med. heat and let boil for approx 5 hours. In the middle of the boiling time, add seasonings. (Add the salt slowly and taste for preference) The last hour, add the cooked ham. If you have dogs, they will love the Ham hocks. These are mainly just for flavoring, NOT TO EAT!!


MEATLOAF

There are A LOT of recipes for this out there and after reading several of them, I kind of combined a few and came up with my own recipe! The boys love it so I kept it!

1 1/2 lb. ground hamburger
1 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
1 package stuffing mix (I use the cornbread flavor)
2 eggs
1 small onion chopped
2/3 C. BBQ sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C. ketchup
4-5 slices raw bacon

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, place hamburger, sausage, stuffing, onions and eggs. mix together will with your hands. Add in BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Mix again. Shape into a casserole dish. Spread ketchup over top and lay bacon over. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. DRAIN ALL GREASE WHEN DONE!!


BANANA PUDDING DESSERT

1 5 OZ. packet French Vanilla Pudding Mix
3 C. milk
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Small container Cool Whip
3-4 Bananas sliced
Vanilla Wafers

Mix pudding, milk and Condensed Milk. Once thick, FOLD in Cool whip. In 11x13 in. casserole dish, line bottom with vanilla wafers. Place sliced bananas on top. Pour pudding mix over bananas and place in fridge to set. Just before serving, Place more Vanilla Wafers around edge of dish or crumble over top.

Nov. 1st -7th

This will be a short week for me since I am leaving for California for my mothers wedding. Might do some cooking there though, if it's anything worth sharing, I'll post it! HAPPY NOVEMBER!!

CHICKEN STEW

1 lb. boneless/skinless thighs
3 C. chicken stock
3 C. water
1/2 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped carrots
1 C. diced red potatoes
1/2 onion chopped
3 crushed cloves garlic
1/2 TBS. Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
sprinkle of rosemary & celery salt (optional)
1 C. pearl barley (NOT THE INSTANT!!)


Place ALL ingredients in a crock pot on LOW for 5 hours. The barley needs at LEAST that long to cook in a crock pot. Turn off and shred chicken. This is a yummy recipe that you can add whatever veggies you like.

Halloween Recipes!!

I wanted to share some of my favorite holiday recipes that we enjoy at our house.

EASY CARAMEL

Thanks to my girlfriend Angela, this is a memorized recipe that we have found many uses for lately!

1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. white sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 small can sweetened condensed milk

Pour ALL ingredients in a saucepan and place on MED. heat. Let fully melt and simmer stirring constantly. (lower heat if boil is too hard) The longer it boils, the darker and chewier it will be. Use the candy ball method to test. Place small bowl of water nest to the pan. With the spoon you are using to stir, drip a little into the water. If the caramel forms a ball and is firm, it is done. If you want it firmer, keep boiling and test again.

We have used this recipe over popcorn, dipping apples or just pour into a greased cookie sheet and let set. Cut into squares and enjoy as caramel pieces!

CARAMEL APPLES

Use above caramel recipe. We then melt chocolate and white chocolate almond bark to dip the caramel apples in and coat with our favorite candy toppings. Crushed heath bar, crushed Oreos, chopped nuts, cinnamon and sugar, mini M&M's, etc...


WITCHES FINGERS

This was a new one this year and it was a lot of fun!

1 bag pretzel sticks
1 C. Peanut Butter
2/3 C - 1 C. powdered milk
2 Tbs. honey
1 pkg. slivered almonds

In a mixing bowl, mix together peanut butter, powdered milk and honey. Add more milk to make mixture more doughy. Once fully mixed, take about 2 tsp. dough and shape around a pretzel stick to look like a finger. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Place a slivered almond at the tip for a fingernail. Use a toothpick to draw lines for knuckles.


BLOOD CUBES

Use a DARK type of fruit punch or Cranberry Juice. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. (For extra fun, you can put in gummi worms too) Before you serve these, you'll want to take them out and let them begin to defrost a little to a slushy stage. Place cubes in a glass of Sprite and watch the color dissolve, it looks like blood swirling in water!


APPLE BITES

Slice 2 apples red or green, spread one side of each apple with some peanut butter. Place 2 small marshmallows on each apple. (peanut butter side) Put 2 slices together with skin side facing you, should look like a mouth with teeth.

Menu for Oct 25-31st

OKAY so obviously there were not enough menu ideas for last week; I have to apologize and yes, my family DID eat. I have been delivering phone books the past 2 weeks; over 1000 to be exact; and last week was CRAZY!! I went out to deliver once my boys got home and then when we were done, everyone was SOOO hungry, it was cereal, grilled cheese or whatever we could make FAST!! The good news is, all the meals I didn't make last week, will be moved to this week. Less grocery shopping for me, YIPPEE!!


CAFE RIO SALAD
Went to a friends house for Dinner on Sunday, she made one of our favorite meals. Cafe Rio Salads. If you have a Cafe Rio Restaurant nearby, this recipe is similar to one of their salads and OH SO GOOD!!

2-3 lb. boneless pork roast
1 small bottle of favorite BBQ sauce
1 bottle of Cherry Coke OR Dr. Pepper
2 C brown sugar
flour tortillas
corn tortillas, sliced into strips and fried in oil till crispy
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
cut avocados
shredded cheddar cheese
1 can black beans
2 C. cooked white rice
Parmesan cheese

Cook pork, BBQ sauce, cola and brown sugar in slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours or until meat can shred.

DRESSING RECIPE
1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
1/2 c. Buttermilk
1 c. mayo or sour cream
1-2 Finely chopped jalapeno peppers (We omit this because we don't like spicy!)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
¾ bunch fresh cilantro
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
salt & pepper

Place all ingredients in blender and mix well


To assemble salads:
Place tortilla in a frying pan on Med.-hi, sprinkle cheese on top and heat till cheese is melted. Layer with meat, rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, tortilla strips, dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Eat with a fork or attempt to fold it up and ENJOY!! You will get Rave reviews for such little effort on your part!


CHICKEN POT PIE

Made this last week, forgot to post it. Bonus for you though!! This was a first time recipe and my family INHALED THIS!!

Filling
1 box Pillsbury ready made pie crust (There are 2 crusts in the box)
2 cups water
14 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas


Remove crust from fridge and let sit to room temperature. VERY IMPORTANT!!

To make the filling: In 4-quart saucepan combine water, chicken, carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken bouillon, pepper and butter. Dissolve cornstarch and flour into whipping cream and stir into chicken mixture. Simmer 3 minutes stirring frequently until thickened. Add peas and set aside.

Unroll 1st crust and lay in pie dish. Part of the crust will hang over the edge, fold it in and gently press to give an extra thick crust. Spoon in filling till it is just below the edge of the pie pan. Place top crust on top. Again, fold over extra and pinch edges for a nice edge or press with prongs of fork. Be sure to cut slits in the dough to allow steam out. Bake at 400 for 30-40 m in. or until golden brown. Allow to cool approx. 15-20 min. This recipe will give you enough for 2 pies so you can make a second or put the filling in the freezer and save for another day!


HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS
Many of you know what these are and can probably make them with your eyes shut. But for those of you who have never heard of them, I wanted to post this for you. This is such a simple and fun meal. My kids have fun with all the different toppings is bowls and building their own haystack.

2 C. cooked rice (adjust to fit however many you are cooking for)
1 large can Cream of chicken soup
1 lb. diced boneless skinless chicken (I use the thighs for this one)
1/2 can milk (Use the soup can)
TOPPINGS:
Shredded cheese
Chopped green peppers
Chopped green onions
Chopped celery
Chopped tomatoes
Pineapple tidbits
Coconut
La Choy Rice Noodles. (The chow mein noodles are okay too, we just like the rice ones)

Cook chicken in a pan, once done, add soup and milk, simmer till completely warmed through. Pour over rice then add other toppings to build your haystack. We usually leave out the celery and tomatoes, but experiment and find other toppings you like too. To keep it "Hawaiian", we just stick with all the others.


RIBS AND POTATOES

It's too cold to cook the ribs on the grill, so I'm doing my 2nd favorite way! Yep, you guessed, I'm using a crock pot!

1 full slab pork ribs
Dry rub
1 1/2 C. Apple juice
1 C. water
2 C. favorite BBQ sauce
1 C. brown sugar

Cut ribs into 2-3 rib portions. Season both sides of ribs with your favorite meat seasoning. I prefer Pappy's Seasoning, I can only get it in Fresno. Place ribs in slow cooker, Pour in juice and water and cook on low for approx 4-5 hours. Remove ribs and place on a broiler pan or foil lined cookie sheet. Place oven rack to top level and turn oven on to Broil. (If your oven can select LO or HI broil, select the LO setting) Baste BBQ sauce generously with sauce and place in oven for about 5 min. Turn over and bast the back and broil for another 4-5 min. ENJOY!!

I recently acquired 50 lbs. of small red potatoes, so we are having some with dinner tonight. I LOVE roasted red potatoes! All you have to do is slice them up, pour on a little oil and cover with a good seasoning and bake for about 20-30 min. I love getting the roasted potato packets in the produce section, usually with the guacamole mix. Check them out!



PORTABELLO RAVIOLIS
WITH SUN DRIED TOMATO ALFREDO SAUCE

Some of you know that I made the ATTEMPT to make homemade raviolis this week. Well, it was a disaster! My sauce for it however DID come out pretty good, so I'll at least share that with you.

1 jar sun dried tomatoes
8 oz. Ghouda cheese
1 QT. 1/2 & 1/2
1/4 C. butter
1-2 C. milk
1/2 C. flour
1/2 -1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2-1 tsp. garlic salt

In large frying pan, melt butter on MED. heat. Once melted, add flour and whisk until it soaks up the butter and is very pasty. Slowly add the milk and whisk until the flour begins to break up. Continue to add the 1/2 and 1/2. while it is heating, take some of the tomatoes and puree them in a blender. The amount to use is up to you. You can also just put them in the sauce as chunks. Pour in tomatoes and once sauce is warm, cut cheese into chunks and place that in as well. With a wooden spoon, give an occasional stir to insure that the cheese is not sticking to the bottom. Pour in seasonings. (adjust these for taste) Let simmer and boil and 5 min. Use this sauce with your favorite pasta. (We made homemade pizza and I used this for a sauce base with chicken, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers....IT WAS YUMMY!!!)

Menu for Oct. 19th-24th

The rains have come and the desire to cook something warm and comforting for my family is overwhelming! But I can't serve them soup every night. During this time of year, soup is one of my favorite things to fix however; so I'll need to get creative and find some new soup recipes. I AM going to try one this week. It's Chilli's Enchilada soup; if it turns out well, I will post it! Here's the rest of the week though. I didn't get to do my breakfast casserole last week so that has been moved up to this week. Still have all the ingredients for it so that is one less meal to worry about!


CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

1.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
1/2 large onion chopped
1 small can chopped green chilli's
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 C. Sour Cream
1 can milk
8-10 Tortillas
pepper and cumin
2 C. shredded cheese

Boil chicken in a large pot of water; let cool and dice up. Place in large mixing bowl. Add diced onions and can of green chilli's. Season with pepper and cumin. Mix in the soups, milk and sour cream. Cut tortillas into quarters. Spray bottom of casserole dish (11x13) with non stick cooking spray. Place a layer of tortillas in to cover entire bottom. Spoon chicken mixture over tortillas and spread. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layers top layer should be chicken mixture. Place in oven at 350 for 30 min. Add remaining cheese and bake an extra 8-10 min. (To change this variation, add salsa or a packet of taco seasoning with the soup mixture.)

My Menu for Oct. 12th -18th

So how did everyone's dinner for last week go? I had a bonus dinner! Had a women's dinner at church Wednesday and brought home leftover soup that my boys enjoyed for the next two days!
Okay, for this week, I'm doing something a little different. I have a couple of new recipes I want to try so I'm NOT going to post them UNTIL I try them! That way, you'll know if they turned out okay. But my other nights dinners I'll go ahead and post. Hope this is giving you all some new ideas! I'm sure having fun, I know that!


BEEF STEW

(This is NOT the typical soup based type of stew. Mine is more of a gravy base)

2lb. cut stew meat (Or cut up a beef roast that you bought on sale!)
1/2 C. oil
1 1/2 C. flour
1 chopped onion
2-3 peeled chopped carrots
3-4 chopped potatoes
3-4 C. water
2-3 Bay Leaves

Pour oil into large pot and heat over Med.-High. Place flour in large bowl, sprinkle in generously garlic powder and pepper, throw in meat and toss to evenly coat. Add chopped onions. (You can also consider throwing in some of the leftover flour, this will help thicken the stew.) Once meat is thoroughly coated, pour into pot with heated oil. Stir occasionally until meat is all brown. Pour in water, carrots and potatoes. Once the water begins to boil, add your Bay Leaves' cover with a lid and let simmer approx. 20 min. or until carrots and potatoes are cooked to desired tenderness. Season with extra salt and pepper if needed. We put this on top of white rice, mash the carrots and potatoes and then mix it all up. (It's the way my daddy use to eat it and my boys have learned the same technique and LOVE IT!)



SPAGHETTI

I know, you probably DON'T need a recipe for spaghetti, but I though I would just share my sauce secrets.
1 onions finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 green bell pepper diced
1/2 lb. diced mushrooms
1-2 stalks celery finely chopped
dash of dried parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 lb.raw bacon diced
(optional)
1-2 carrots shredded
1 zucchini shredded

OKAY, here's my secret, throw EVERYTHING into a frying pan and saute it until onions are translucent. (The grease from the bacon will help cook everything, if you need more, add a little oil) I then add 2 jars Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce. It never fails, I always end up with extra noodles and NO sauce.


BONUS RECIPE!!
CARAMEL FRENCH TOAST
Tried this one Sunday morning and it was GREAT, very sweet and rich but good all the same!

1 stick butter
1 C. brown sugar
3 TBS. light corn syrup
6-8 slices Texas Toast
6 eggs
1 1/2 C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 TBS. Cinnamon

Melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over Med. heat until it begins to boil. Pour into an 11x13 dish. Place bread slices on top of caramel. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour over the bread making sure it coats all slices of bread. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge over night. Take out the next morning and cook at 350 for 45 min.


PANCIT (FILIPINO RECIPE)

In case many of you don't know, I am part Filipino. My grandmother would make a few Filipino dishes which I loved. This one, I had to hunt for on my own. Hope one of you are brave enough to try it!

1 lb. boneless skinless thighs
1 pkg. bean thread (Can be purchased at an Oriental Market, cost is like $.99)
1/2 chopped bell peppers (Green & Red)
2 green onions chopped OR 1/2 yellow onion chopped
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 clove minced garlic
1 shredded carrot
1 can chicken stock
2 TBS. Soy Sauce
1 TBS. sesame oil
1 TBS. Sweet chili Sauce-OPTIONAL

FIRST STEP: Unwrap the bean thread and place in a large pot with warm water. You want the water to completely cover the noodles. Place pot on Med-Low. These need to soak while your other ingredients are cooking. Dice chicken into bite size pieces. Place in bowl and add soy sauce and sesame oil. Let sit for 5 min. Pour into Wok or Large Frying pan with a little oil. Completely cook chicken then remove from the pan. Add a little more oil if needed then throw in all the vegetables. Saute veggies about 10 min. on Med.-High heat. Add chicken back to the pan. Completely drain the bean thread noodles then add to chicken mixture. Pour in 3/4 C. of the chicken stock. (Season with a little Garlic Salt & ginger-this is optional) Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 5-8 min. or until liquid has cooked down. The noodles will be clear. Mix in your Sweet Chili Sauce and a serve. You can do MANY different combinations with this; like adding shrimp, ground pork or any other type of vegetable you like. Add Egg Rolls and you have a complete meal!


APPLEBEE'S CRISPY ORANGE CHICKEN

Made this last night and it was soo easy and FABULOUS!! Had company over for dinner and he is on the gluten free diet; so just omitted the flour and doubled the corn starch.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Oil (for frying)

Cut chicken into 2-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and oil. Mix well and set aside.

Stir cornstarch and flour together in another large bowl and mix well. Add chicken mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to coat each piece well.

Pour enough oil to be at least 1/2-inch deep in a wok or heavy skillet and set over high heat. When it reaches 375 degrees F (hot!) carefully add chicken pieces in small batches and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp. Do not overcook or chicken will be tough. Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Continue frying chicken in small batches until all are nicely browned and crisp. Set aside while you make the glaze:

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Cool the oil in the skillet slightly, then remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil and set over medium heat. Saute garlic in oil for 1 minute (if the oil is too hot the garlic will turn bitter). Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens to your liking, stirring frequently.

Pour glaze over chicken. Serve chicken over a bed of cooked white rice. Garnish with slivered almonds and chopped green onions. Applebee's tosses the chicken and orange glaze with an array of stir-fry vegetables like broccoli, snow peas and red peppers.

Menu for Oct 4-10th

I consider myself lucky that my mom bought me one of those Ronce Rotisseries... I use it ALL THE TIME! Now I realize that there's probably not a whole lot of you out there that have one of these, so I will give you an alternative way of cooking a roast for this week! We also have a smoker which my hubby likes to use as well, but large pieces of meat can also be done on the BBQ and still taste wonderful!

Pork Roast
(Pork Roasts were on sale a while back so I stocked up on them. I have a 7lb. Boston Butt roast and a 9lb. Picnic Roast. Both are very good!!)

Rub the roast with a layer of oil. Do not trim any access fat off, this will add more flavor to the meat. Grill Mates has a selection of meat rubs that I enjoy using, find one that your family will like. OR... if you live in Fresno, pick up a bottle of Pappy's Seasoning, you can't go wrong with this stuff!! Generously rub seasonings over roast and place in a deep roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer in center of roast. Set oven to 400F. Place in oven uncovered for 30 min. This will give you a nice crust on the outer part of the roast. After that, pour 1 C. Apple Juice in the pan and cover roast with foil. You can remove thermometer and insert again through the foil. This way, you will not have to uncover the roast to check the temp. of the meat. Periodically check the moisture in the bottom of the pan and add more if needed. If you have a good size roast, it will feed your household for a couple of days.


Chicken Pillows

1lb. cooked & chopped chicken
1 lb. softened cream cheese
3 green onions chopped
1-2 tsp. Garlic Salt
2-3 cans Croissants
1 packet Chicken Gravy

Cook whatever chicken you choose until well done and chop up. Add in cream cheese, onions and garlic salt. Mix together well. Carefully open croissants. DO NOT SEPARATE INTO TRIANGLES!! You will want to keep them in the rectangle shape. There are 2 ways of doing this. 1) Place a decent spoonful of chicken mixture in the middle of the croissant rectangle; fold the dough over and seal edges. 2) Place 2 spoonfuls of chicken mixture into middle of croissant rectangle, place a 2nd rectangle over that one and seal edges. Which one you choose will depend on how big you want these pillows. Bake according to directions for croissants. Top off with chicken gravy or eat by themselves. We love them with mashed potatoes and fresh salad.


SAUSAGE & PASTA

2 Boxes of your favorite Pasta Roni
1 lb. Bratwurst
1/2 package frozen broccoli

Cook the bratwurst according to the package directions. when finished, slice each link and set aside. Begin directions for Pasta Roni. Cook your broccoli however you like. We like to steam ours in the microwave. When pasta is almost done, add in your sausage and broccoli and mix well. Sauce will thicken as it sits. Good on its own or with a fresh veggie or fruit side.


OMELETS

We LOVE having breakfast for dinner!! My 6 year old is an egg fiend so he will be way excited for this meal! These can be made without directions. Be creative, I love ham, spinach, onions and garlic. The key is to use no more than 2 eggs per person.


CREATIVE MACARONI & CHEESE

I sometimes get tired of making just plain mac & cheese, or putting hot dogs in it. Tried this once and it was a hit. I added cooked peas and crumbled bacon into it. The kids got their mac & cheese AND veggies all in one serving! This is also a good meal to cook for the kids when YOU plan on having a more "adult meal," or a night out with girls or hubby!

Amy's Awesome Sweet & Spicey Chili

This Chili came out SOOO TERRIFIC my boys decided on naming it. They both had a suggestion so we kept both and the name was born. I never follow a recipe, just kind of throw it together, but this one was absolutely wonderful, I had to write down what I did so that I could remember for next time. Here is the result. I have an AWESOME home made cornbread recipe as well, but need to get a copy from my mom, mine got erased! Will post that at a nother time!

Amy's Awesome Sweet & Spicey Chili

1lb. ground pork sausage
1lb. ground turkey
2 cans chili beans
1 can red beans
1 can diced tomatos
3 small cans tomato sauce
2 cans chopped green chilis
1 C. chopped onions
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt & pepper (generous sprinkle)
2 squares Bakers unsweetened chocolate
3/4 C. brown sugar

Brown meats and drain from all grease. Add to crock pot and begin adding all canned items and onions. Mix well then begin adding seasonings. Once chili has time to heat up, add the chocolat so it begins melting right away. Give 30 min. to melt then mix well; then add the sugar. The longer this simmers, the more the seasonings will blend. Adjust seasonings for your own liking.

Some "Get 'ya Started" Recipes

Mexican Chicken

4-5 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 can chopped green chilis
1 small chopped onion
1/2 C (or Less) chopped Cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. lime juice

Place all ingredients in crock pot and put on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken can shred easily.
Eat on top of tortilla chips, taco shell or wrap up in flour tortilla for a soft taco. Top with favorite Mexican toppings. We used salsa, cheese, Spanish Rice and diced avocados.


Sweet & Sour Pork

My family LOVES the Sun-Bird flavor packet that you can purchase in your local super market in the Oriental Isle. We also love the Sesame Chicken Flavor. The Sweet & Sour Flavor is common back home in California, but here in Utah, I have only found it at Kent's market and Macy's. With my 3 boys and their appetite, I usually double this recipe. Follow direction on back of envelope...SIMPLE!! Pour on top of white/brown rice, add some frozen egg rolls and it's great!! This is a nice FAST meal.


BBQ Chicken Salad

(My Best Friend Angela introduced me to this one. Have to give credit to her. She said it is similar to a salad at Famous Dave's.)

4 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts OR
1 lb. Boneless Buffalo wings from WalMart Deli
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Corn
Diced Tomatoes
Grated Cheese
Torn Romain & Ice Berg Lettuce
1 1/2 C. Ranch Dressing
1/4 - 1/3 C. BBQ sauce
Fried Onion Rings (Batter for Onion Rings at the bottom)

Cook chicken in Crock Pot with favorite BBQ sauce until shredded. OR Dice up the boneless Buffalo Wings that you can purchase at a Deli or in a Frozen bag. I think Tyson has a good brand. For Dressing, mix Ranch and BBQ sauce together. Adjust BBQ sauce until it is to YOUR liking. Layer your salad and top off with hot onion rings and dressing.

Batter for Onion Rings
1 C. corn Starch
1 C. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. oil

Mix well, dip rings and cook in pan with approx. 3 inches oil. Drain on paper towels


Pork Chops

(Another one I have to Credit to my other Best Friend Becca. I'm hoping she will join me and help post some ideas on here. We are ALWAYS sharing dinner ideas or any other recipe for that matter.)

3-4 Thick Pork Loin Chops (average about 1 chop per person. Children would be half a chop)
2 cans Chicken Rice soup
1 Packet Chicken Gravy

(AGAIN, we are using the Crock Pot. Boy, now that I'm writing these down, I'm realizing how busy my Crock Pot has been the past week or so!!)

Place chops and soup in pot with 3/4 can water. Cook on Low 6-8 hours. Once you can shred the meat, do so and mix well. Add gravy packet. If soup seems thick with shredded meat, add a little water. Pour over rice or favorite pasta.

Always On Hand

The following items I try to always keep on hand:

Cream of Chicken/Mushroom soups
Tomato Sauce & Soup
Spaghetti Sauce
BBQ Sauce
Rice
Ramen Noodles
Corn Meal
Brown/Powdered Sugar
Cake/Brownie Mix
Onions
Bell Peppers
GARLIC GARLIC GARLIC
Carrots
Corn Starch

Spices:
S & P (Of coarse)
Seasoned Salt
Garlic Salt (I like the Lawrys brand for both of these)
Garlic Powder
Mrs. Dash (any flavor)
Ground Ginger
Bay Leaves
Meat Rubs
Old Bay
Taco Spice Packet
Oriental Packets: Sweet & Sour...etc
Oregano
Cumin
Sesame Oil
Cinnamon

WELCOME WELCOME!!

OKAY, I FINALLY STARTED! All you who keep pestering me for a cook book, blog, or a recipe packet; I finally got to ONE of them. On this blog, I will post what my home menu is going to be for the week. I usually do shopping for two weeks and within that time, there is always a night for leftovers and a fend for yourself night. On Saturdays, I just simply REFUSE to cook unless absolutely necessary. However, even though there is nothing fancy going on at my house, I will throw in a dinner idea that you can use at your own house. If any menu item changes at my house, I will post it. Some nights may not be too fancy and some recipes will also be experimental. DON'T EVER BE AFRAID WHEN IT COMES TO COOKING!
For starters, there are a LIST of things that I always have on hand and will share those with you that can help in making ANY meal. I also believe in SEASONINGS! I don't just have 1 season cupboard, I have 2 and they are FULL of almost anything you can think of! So, I will include a list of some of the seasonings I also keep on hand.
I will also post some of the cooking websites that I use and frequently get recipes from. Yes, even I run into a dead end about what to cook for dinner sometimes or get in that rut of cooking the same things over and over. If you ever come across a recipe that you would like to share, let me know. (Maybe I'll set up a separate email just for this too. Hmm.) Have patience with me, I'll get this going soon enough!