Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good 2008 and has an even better 2009!! Happy New Year to all my blogging buddies!!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all my blogging buddies! I hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends. And I hope you remember who's birthday we are celebrating.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. " John 3:16

Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie
2 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
4 Tblsp. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup angel flake coconut
3 egg yolks
2 Tblsp. butter or oleo

Meringue: (I like whipped cream instead)
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Mix milk, sugar, egg yolks, salt, vanilla, and oleo in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; add coconut and cornstarch which has been moistened with enough water to be well dissolved. Continue to boil until thick. Pour into baked pie crust. Top with meringue of the beaten 3 egg whites beaten until stiff to form peaks. Add 1/4 cup of white sugar and beat well to be sure sugar is dissolved well. Sprinkle extra coconut on top and brown in 350 degree oven until lightly browned. (If using whipped cream, put pie in refrigerator after pouring in pie crust and then top with whipped cream.)

Christmas baking

My mom and I did some baking today (Isaac "helped"). It was a good day to stay inside since the roads were still pretty bad from the storm last night. So, here's some pictures along with the recipes we used.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1Tbsp. + 1 tsp. milk
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and milk. Beat until light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half and wrap tightly in wax paper. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Flour surface lightly. Roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut in desired shapes. Sprinkle before baking with colored sugar and candies or leave plain to frost when cool. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove to cooling rack. Yield: 3 dozen (depending on size and shape)


Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat all together on low for 15 seconds and then high for 2 minutes.







Peppermint Bark
1 lb. chocolate (I used dark)
12 oz. white chocolate
3/4 tsp. peppermint extract
10 6-inch candy canes

Bring water to boil in the bottom of a double boiler. There should be some space between the water and the upper portion of the double boiler. In then meantime, line the bottom of an 11x17 or similarly sized cookie sheet with sides with aluminum foil or wax paper. Once the water is boiling remove it from the heat and replace the top of the double boiler. Put about 3/4 of the chocolate in the double boiler first and melt until it is smooth. Add in the rest of the chocolate and 1/2 tsp. of the peppermint extract. Stir until all the chunks have melted. Pour the melted chocolate into the lined cookie sheet and spread so the thickness is just under a quarter of an inch. Let the chocolate sit for a moment so it cools slightly and then place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. While the first layer chills, crush the candy canes. The size of the broken pieces should be about the size of a pea. Take the bottom layer of chocolate out of the refrigerator so it warms slightly before the second layer is applied. Again boil water in the bottom of the double boiler. Clean out the upper portion of the double boiler with hot water only, no soap, and dry thoroughly. Once the water is boiling, remove it from the heat and put the top of the double boiler back on. Place 3/4 of the white chocolate into the double boiler and stir until it is melted. Add the remaining white chocolate and 1/4 tsp. of the peppermint extract
and stir until smooth. Pour this evenly over the first layer of chocolate. This layer will be thinner than the first. Sprinkle the top with the pieces of crushed candy canes. Again let it sit for ten minutes before placing it in the refrigerator to set. After an hour the bark should be ready to be broken into pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool place or freeze.

* I used the microwave to heat my chocolates -- just be careful not to over cook it!! Read instructions on package on how to heat in the microwave.
** Recipe from Sugar Savvy






Oreo Truffles
1 pkg. oreos
1 8oz. pkg cream cheese
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tblsp. shortening
1 pkg. vanilla almond bark

Crush oreos into bits (food processor works good). Cream together the oreo bits and cream cheese in a heavy duty mixer or use hands and work all together like dough (DO NOT USE HAND MIXER!!). Roll mixture into small balls or use a melon baller. Freeze until solid (about 2 hours). Melt almond bark. Use 2 forks or toothpicks to coat the truffle. Place on waxed paper covered cookie sheet and refrigerate until the almond bark sets. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 Tblsp. shortening in microwave (30 seconds - stir - 30 seconds). Place in ziploc bag and seal. Trim small triangle off corner and squeeze to drizzle truffles. Makes about 50.

My Bible reading today...

God laid a verse on my heart last night ("What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." Romans 6:1-2). So, for my Bible reading this morning I read all of Romans 6. It just really says alot and I thought I would share it here.

Romans 6
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Early Christmas Presents!!

Jason and I will not have any presents under the tree this year. That is because we have already got our presents. I already wrote about the great deal we got on a Nintendo Wii. So, that is part of our Christmas to each other. That came on Tuesday -- and of course Jason CANNOT wait until Christmas to use it so we have already been playing it. Then we also bought a new Dining room table and chairs and that came on Thursday -- and there is NO WAY of waiting to use that until Chrismas -- we have to put it somewhere. So, that is also now in use!! :-) But it will still be a very fun Christmas -- Isaac is really starting to understand the whole present thing. So, I'm looking forward to Christmas with him.

Goodbye to my buddy Dagen

Well, Jason just left a little while ago to take Dagen to the vet. We are having him put to sleep. The treatments didn't seem to be working and he was getting worse. This morning I couldn't hardly bare to watch him trying to get around and he was peeing all over himself and the house. It was not a good site. So, we just said it's time -- it's not worth putting him through more pain and suffering just so we can have him around a little while longer. But I am going to miss him -- he has been such a good dog and a great friend. Thanks for all the comments and thoughtfulness from everyone!!

Update on Dagen...

Just want you to know that we didn't put Dagen to sleep. Jason took him to the vet today and they want to try steroids one more time. So, we have to give him those and then keep him in his kennel almost all the time for the next couple of weeks to see if just some rest with the meds will help him. So, I'm thankful he will be with us for awhile longer BUT I hope this isn't just prolonging the inevitable. We'll see :-)

My dog Dagen...

Most of you know we have two miniature dachshunds and I love them SOOOOOOOOOOO much!! They are my buddies. Well, Dagen, our older one is having problems with his back (dachshunds are known for this) and I'm dreading the inevitable (putting him to sleep). I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it. But he is doing pretty bad. Today he has been just dragging his back legs behind him and he has been pooping in the house. So, I know it may be time but I just don't want to do it -- he is such a good dog. I made an appointment for tomorrow so they can check him again and see if there is anything else to do but I'm afraid it is the end. So, sorry this is a sad post but I need to write about it. Here's a couple of pictures of him -- my buddy!!

Another Great Deal!!

So, now I am always looking for great deals and I think I've got my husband on the band wagon too!! He found out that Ebay and Microsoft are offering some great deals right now when you use PayPal. So, we caved in and bought a Nintendo Wii -- but we got an AWESOME deal on it -- we couldn't pass it up. We got the game console, two controllers, 3 games, the Wii Fit bundle, the Mario Cart bundle, two car wheels and all the hookups, etc. for $380!!! So, it will be coming in the mail in the next couple of days -- so everyone's invited over to try it out when we get it!!

Hmmmm......

So, why is it that so-called Christians have such a hard time obeying God's word? I know it's because of our sin nature, but doesn't the Bible say "give NO place to the devil"? So, why then do we put ourselves in situations that give place to the devil?? This I cannot seem to understand. I see Christians daily letting the devil have places in their lives where they are allowing themselves room to fall into sin. Putting yourself in a place where you KNOW there is going to be temptation to sin is (in my point of view) asking to fall into sin. So, then when we end up doing something REALLY dumb, why are we surprised? We put ourselves there knowing that we should not be there in the first place. So, again, I know we are going to sin, but when we go into a situation that we KNOW we should not be in and then we sin, I think this is willful sinning against God. I know I'm not perfect -- believe me I AM NOT -- the Bible reminds me of this ("For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God") -- but my prayer is that I will always put myself in situations where I can glorify God and not disappoint him. Thank you for listening to me ramble -- hope this makes some sense.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a VERY Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of the great blessings God has shown upon us this year -- what a GREAT God we serve!! I have a loving husband, a good kid, and a great family who all love the Lord -- and for that I am truly thankful. I am excited about spending Thanksgiving with all of our family. It should be a good day.

Psalm 136:1

"O give THANKS unto the LORD;

for he is good:

for his mercy endureth for ever. "

I also want to share a recipe with you that has become a request every year. It is for Chocolate Cream Pie -- yum, yum!!

Old-fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie

1 baked pie shell

5 Tblsp. flour

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

5 Tblsp. cocoa

2 cups milk

3 eggs, separated

1/2 cup oleo

1 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour with sugar, salt, and cocoa. Add milk. Stir until smooth. Place in a double boiler (or a saucepan -- that's what I use) and cook for 12 minutes. Stir to prevent lumping. Beat egg yolks. Add to the above mixture and cook for 3 minutes. Stir often. A wire whip is helpful for the stirring process. Remove from fire and add oleo and vanilla. Mix. Cool slightly and pour into pie shell. This makes a 9-inch pie. Top with Cool Whip.

My New Hairdo!!

So, I've been growing my hair out for over 2 years now. I wanted to cut it off for Locks of Love. After I grew it out long enough to cut it off (1o inches), I decided I liked my long hair so, I didn't cut it for a couple of months. But I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was ready to cut it off. So, here's pictures of my new haircut. I'm still trying to get over the shock -- it is SO short!!

Tried and True Casseroles

I made my Taco Casserole for dinner tonight and thought I should put the recipe on here. And then I remembered that I made Chicken Broccoli Casserole last week and I had the leftovers at work and Keely wanted me to post that recipe on here too. So, here they are -- and they are a couple of my go to recipes when I can't think of something to cook -- they are always good. Jason only likes a few casseroles and these are two that he will eat.

Taco Casserole
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup Taco Sauce (medium)
1-4oz. can diced green chiles
1-2.25oz. can sliced black olives, drained, divided
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix
1 pkg. (12 count) Taco shells, broken in pieces
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)
1/8 cup sliced green onions (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12x8 baking dish (I use a 9x13). Cook beef, onion, and garlic in skillet until beef is browned; drain. Stir in water, taco sauce, chiles, 1/4 cup olives and seasoning mix. Cook over low heat 3-4 minutes.
Layer half of the broken taco shells on bottom of prepared dish. Cover with half of meat sauce; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat with remaining shells, meat sauce and cheese.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Top with remaining olives, tomatoes and green onions. (I like to serve with chips and top with sour cream -- it's a great nacho dip).


Chicken Broccoli Casserole
5 whole large chicken breasts
2-10oz. pkg. frozen broccoli
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 heaping teaspoon curry powder
Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Ritz Cracker Crumbs

Salt & pepper chicken and wrap in foil. Cook slowly until tender. Debone, cut into large bite size pieces. Barely cook broccoli in salt water. Mix together soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder. Use 8x12 deep casserole dish. Place broccoli in bottom of dish. Place chicken evenly over broccoli. Pour sauce over the top. Completely cover with grated cheese then with the cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until hot all the way through. Serves 10-12 (I usually split the recipe in half for our family.)

Photographer in the making

Isaac found my camera yesterday and left me with these interesting shots. Someone said this would be great blogging material and I was thinking the same thing. So, I just had to put these shots on here. It was too funny! Maybe he will be a great photographer someday and make me LOTS of money!! :-)

Little "jumping beans"!

Isaac and I went to this placed called BounceU today with our friends Jill and Ally. We had a good time -- it definitely wore the kiddos out but I got a pretty good exercise myself -- wooh, I need a nap too! It wasn't as big as I thought it would be but Ally and Isaac seemed to enjoy it and I guess that's all that matters. And because I have become a coupon nerd now (thanks to my friend Arlene) all 4 of us got in for $6.00! So, it was a cheap playdate! Thanks for going with us Jill and Ally -- it was a fun day. (By the way, Jill, Isaac cried ALL the way home from your house -- we will have to hang out again -- he really likes Ally!)

Salute to the Troops!

Happy Veteran's Day! I want to just say "Thank you" to all our men and women out there that are serving or have served in our nation's military. I also want to say thanks to the families that have to sacrifice their time away from their loved ones that are serving. I can never fully understand what military families go through -- I see some of it with my sister and her husband but it's still not the same as being in a military family. So, "Thank you!! We are indebted to you!

"And I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died

who gave that right to me.

And I'll gladly stand up next to you

and defend her still today.

'cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,

God Bless the USA!"

Six Things about me...

My friend Arlene "tagged" me -- so I guess I'm supposed to tell six things about myself. So, here goes....

1. I was born into a Pastor's family -- the oldest of three girls. I actually enjoyed being a PK. The only bad part was people expecting more out of me than their own kids. We are all sinners so guess what? ... we all sin! Wow! what a concept. But other than that I liked it -- not like I really knew any different. I enjoyed all the Pastor's fellowship meetings we went to -- Preachers are crazy men -- you see a different side of them than when they're preaching -- it's pretty funny!

2. I was homeschooled -- and contrary to popular belief I did have a social life --we did leave our house every once in awhile! I loved being homeschooled -- I hope to homeschool my kids. We'll see if I have the patience but I think I will. I love watching Isaac learn new things so I think it will be fun.

3. I have never had a drink of alcohol or smoked a cigerette. People think that's crazy but I'm proud to say that I've never done these things. Praise the Lord I don't have to deal with addiction to these things and have to try to quit. It has never even been something I've wanted to try -- the smell of smoke and alcohol makes me sick so there has never been a desire to try them.

4. I am a Hairstylist -- been doing hair now for 10 1/2 years!! That I cannot believe. I love doing hair -- it is definitely a passion of mine. One time I went to our church youth camp as the counselor and I told the girls "don't even ask me to do your hair, I'm on vacation" -- I couldn't stand it -- by the end of the week I was asking to do their hair. I missed it!

5. My middle name is KAY and whenever I tell people my middle name they always say "not your middle initial, what's your middle name?" I then say "Kay". And we go through this about 2-3 more times before I finally say "Kay...K...A...Y!!" Then they feel pretty dumb!! :-)

6. One of my greatest fears -- knives. I cannot watch other people cut things with a knife -- I especially can't watch movies where someone is fighting with a knife or gets stabbed with a knife. It just sends shivers up my back. It really freaks me out. Jason likes to tease me by taking a knife and rubbing across his hand -- I can't stand it! Just thinking about it now is freaking me out!

So, there's a few silly facts about me. Now I will tag a couple of people...

Jill
Albanie

Tell us 6 fun facts about yourself -- this is pretty fun!

New President

Well, this long, long presidential election is finally over. I am disappointed with the results but it's done so we have to move on. I will now be praying for our country more than ever before -- praying this President doesn't take us down a wrong path and praying for the safety of our country. May God continue to bless America!

I Voted!

I voted today. And I am praying each person did their duty as an American citizen and voted. I was just reading some blogs and thought I needed to voice my opinion about this election and some of the issues. I want people to know that honestly neither one of these candidates are great. They are both socialists technically. I mean they both signed for this 700 billion dollar bailout plan -- that is nothing more than pure socialism!!! But the difference between them is John McCain is a Patriot -- he has fought for our country and will continue to fight for our safety as a nation. Unfortunately, Obama is friends with people that would love to sell our country off to places that would love to see our country fall. He is friends with men who are proud to say they hate our country -- how can you be friends with people like this?? So, for that, how could you vote for someone who is okay being friends with people like this?? That I cannot understand. I heard something yesterday that was pretty good -- with the associations that Obama has, he could not have gotten any job with high security clearance (FBI, CIA, etc.) but he can become the next President? the next Commander-in-Chief?? WOW!!

About some of the issues:

Welfare:
I think it is one thing to help people out till they can get back on their feet. But usually that is not the case. Most people that are on welfare have been on welfare for their whole life -- that is the only way they know -- their parents were on it -- their grandparents were on it. They don't know any different. They have never even tried to make a life for themselves. The Bible says "if a man shall not work, neither shall he eat." Sorry but I don't feel sorry for people that have no initiative to get off their butt and try to work to feed their children. That may sound harsh but it's true. I'm not working hard so I can feed other people's families -- I'm working hard so I can feed my family!!! Government was NOT put in place to feed people -- it's purpose is to protect the people from outside harm. It is the place of people to help out other people less fortunate. The Bible talks about that too -- helping out the widows and others in need. If people would do their part, Government wouldn't have to. But since Government is taking our money and giving to whoever they want it makes people not want to give anymore. So, it has had an adverse effect on the way it should be.

Health Care:
Is health care a right or a privilege? Back to the welfare thing. Government should not be involved in health care. I also don't think we need insurance programs. Insurance has made prices of health care sky rocket -- the free enterprise system that America was established on is gone from the health care system. If it was given back to the private sector prices would drop drastically and everyone would be able to afford it for themselves. Think about it -- if you got rid of all the insurance paperwork, insurance fraud, etc. -- that alone would bring prices down. Less work and less money spent. There was a show on 20/20 awhile ago showing universal health care, insurance run health care, and private sector health care. It was AMAZING how health care run in a private sector was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much more affordable and so much better all around. Doctors would then be competitive and that makes prices come down. And they showed countries that have universal health care -- it is NOT better -- you are on a waiting list for MONTHS to see a doctor. People in Canada come to America for surgeries because they can get them done sooner here. The military health care here in America is Government funded -- and let me tell you it is not better. All I ever hear from military families is how they hate going to the military hospital for anything -- it is always a mess. What does that say for "great" universal health care?? Not much! I don't want that!

Iraq war:
At this point the debate about if we should have gone to war with Iraq is not a question. It doesn't matter -- we went -- now we HAVE to finish it. If we don't, that war will become greater than we can even imagine!! Iran is right next door -- they will move in -- take over Iraq and then we are in a worse place than before the war. They HAVE weapons of mass destruction and they will use them. Again going back to the people Obama associates with -- they hate America and would love to see our great land destroyed. So, think where that will lead us. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad this war has not been fought on our land -- but if we leave there, it very well could be on our land next. So, we have to finish. And Obama making a promise to get out of there -- he can't promise that -- he's not president yet. He will see what is really going on there if he is our next president and THEN he will have to decide -- and I think he will see we do need to finish (that is if he really wants to protect our country). And someone said we are headed for another Vietnam -- do your research -- Vietnam was lost because politicians in Washington were running that war instead of our Generals who are trained to run a war. Let the military do it's job -- Congress has no clue how to run a war -- they hardly no how to run the congress sometimes! If we let our great military do it's job and stop politicizing everything we could have this done soon and our men can come home. But if we leave now it will not be better later!

I did think of our country and what's best for it when voting today and I pray daily for our country. We need God back in our country and in the lives of our citizens. There is so much morally and spiritually wrong in our country today -- people don't even know the difference between good and evil -- the Bible says in the last days "they will call good evil and evil good" and that is surely the case today. Christians "look up - your redemption draweth nigh!"

Something to think about before you Vote!

This quote was in our church bulletin this morning. I just thought it was a great quote and something to really think about when voting.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves Largess (gifts, money, favors, etc.) out of the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy -- to be followed by a dictatorship. "
-- Lord Woodhouselee

This is where America is headed. If we vote in a Socialist President ("...the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury...") the result one day could be our great country collapsing into a dictatorship. My prayer is that our nation will turn back to God and the great principles our country was built upon. Please vote responsibly this Tuesday!!

Sarah Palin

So, we had to dress up for Halloween at work yesterday. Since I don't celebrate Halloween and what it stands for, I decided to do something political and dressed as Sarah Palin. It was a fun day and EVERYONE knew who I was and just kept saying I looked just like her. She is a great woman and I was proud to dress as her.

Congratulations!

Just want to say "Congratulations!" to our friends Micah and Nicole on their new baby girl -- Emma Francis!

Air Museum

We went to the Air Museum today with my mom. We went because they had this kid exhibit going on ... yeah ... not so great! Oh, well. Isaac enjoyed it and he kinda enjoyed the airplanes. So, it's definitely a place to take a little bit older kids. But it was still a good time with Grandma!

Online games

I enjoy playing games on Pogo.com -- I just tried out the New Monopoly that they have -- it is actually really fun -- the best part is most of the games are FREE!!!

	I love to play MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition Wheel and deal your way to the top of a real estate empire.
Pogo.com — play hundreds of fun games online!

Great Savings!

I got all of this today at Target. It was all originally $51.21 -- I got it for $21.03 -- a savings of $30.18!!! I want to thank Arlene for all the great blogs she has shown me that help you to save money. It really does work -- I also got this week $25 off at Omaha Steaks so we got 4 NY strips and 12 burgers for $23.00 (that included shipping)!! Pretty good! I think I enjoy this blogging thing more for the great deals than anything else ... oh, okay... I do enjoy keeping with all of my friends too!! :-)

What level reading is your blog?

I got this from Arlene's blog and thought it was cute! I'm glad to know I write at least at a High School level. Since I did graduate High School -- contrary to what society believes about home-schooled children. The question that's sometimes asked "How did you graduate High School?" I always want to say "I don't know ... How did YOU graduate High School?"

Zuppa Toscana Soup from Olive Garden

Update: This recipe is VERY good -- tastes very much like the Olive Garden soup. It is a little spicy though -- so if you don't like spicy food better use mild Italian sausage. :-)

So, it has been chilly the last couple of days so I thought soup sounded REALLY good right now. I went through my soup recipes, but just nothing sounded good. I thought ... "the potato soup from Olive Garden sounds really good." So, I googled for the recipe -- I knew somebody had probably came up with something similar to that soup. I found a recipe and tried it today. It is simmering on the stove right now. I'll be anxious to see if it tastes close to the one from Olive Garden. I will add to this post later and let you know if this recipe is good or not!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

5 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup light cream
2 medium russet potatoes
4 cups chopped kale (I didn't know what this is -- it's a type of cabbage -- so you could substitute cabbage or spinach)
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the stock and the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Slice the unpeeled potatoes into 1/4 inch slices, then quarter the slices and add them to the soup. Add the kale. Grill or saute the sausage. When cooked and cooled, cut the sausage in an angle about 1/2 inch thick. Add the sausage to the soup. Add the spices and let the soup simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

College Football & Food

My NE Cornhuskers were soooooo close to a win today -- I can't believe our quarterback made that last play -- he will never be able to live that down. It was a REALLY good game though. I hope we are on are way to a great team again!! Go Huskers!!

Also, here's a good recipe for those fun football get-togethers. I got it out of Taste of Home magazine. Really good!

Ham & Cheese Sandwich Loaf

1 loaf sourdough bread
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium green pepper, cut into strips
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into strips
1 celery rib, sliced
3 green onions, sliced
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 pound shaved deli ham
1 cup shredded Colby cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cut bread in half horizontal. Hollow out top and bottom halves, leaving 1/2 in. shells. (Discard removed bread or save for another use.)
In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, peppers, celery, and onions in oil until tender. Remove from the heat; set aside.
Combine the mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and pepper; spread over bread. On the bread bottom, layer half of the ham, vegetable mixture and cheeses. Repeat layers, gently pressing down if needed. Replace bread top. Wrap tightly in heavy-duty foil. Bake at 400 degrees or grill, covered, over medium heat for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Cut into wedges with a serated knife. 8 servings

Lots of Apple Recipes!

Since I just went to the apple orchard and since we have LOTS of apples, I thought I would post about some good recipes that I have made using apples!! These are all REALLY good recipes!

Apple Dumplings (from the kitchen of my friend Arlene)
2 tubes crescent rolls
2 Granny Smith apples (or whatever you have)
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8-12 oz. Mt. Dew (or Sprite, 7-Up, Squirt, Mellow Yellow)
Cinnamon

Peel and core apples. Slice into 8 pieces each. Roll up 1 slice in 1 triangle of crescent dough. Repeat with remaining fruit. Place in 13"x9" dish. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in sugar and vanilla. (Don't caramelize or dissolve completely. Keep it lumpy.) Pour over dumplings. Pour soda around contents of pan. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40 minutes.


Apple Pie
1 package refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
6 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples
3/4 cup plus 1 Tblsp. sugar, divided
2 Tblsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. apple-pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tblsp. butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 Tblsp. milk or cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fit 1 pie crust into a 9 inch pie pan. Mix apples, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, apple-pie spice and salt in large mixing bowl until apples are coated. Turn apple mixture into pastry-lined pie dish; spread evenly. Scatter butter pieces over top of mixture. Fit top crust over apple mixture. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust around edges. Press edges together to seal; flute. Brush top crust with milk. Make slits in top crust with knife to create steam vents. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake pie until golden, 40-45 minutes.


Apple Crisp
4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Cream or Ice Cream, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 8 inch square pan. Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.


Chicken Salad
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
2/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped tart apple
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tsp. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Croissants

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cherries, celery, apple and pecans. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, salt, and pepper; add to chicken mixture an mix well. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken salad onto each croissant.

Locked out!

So, I went to the grocery store this morning -- my usual Wednesday morning routine. I did my shopping, paid for my groceries, put the groceries in the trunk of the car, went to put Isaac in the car and realized I had locked my keys in my trunk with the groceries!!! I couldn't believe it -- I have only locked myself out of my car one other time and that was almost 10 years ago! I felt so dumb. So, I had to call Jason and have him drive all the way from work to come and let us in the car. I couldn't call someone to just come get us -- my groceries were in the trunk! Thankfully, there was nothing that would get bad too soon and it was cool today so that helped too. I just hate when I do stuff like that -- I feel really stupid and I just want to kick myself!!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a local Pumpkin Patch last night with several of our friends. It was a really fun time. Isaac loved all of the animals -- chickens, sheep, cows, horses, pigs. We could have just gone to a farm with animals and saved ourselves some money. But it was a good time.

We took a hayrack ride out to the pumpkins. We bought a few small pumpkins to do some fall decorating with.

Isaac is in to shooting guns right now. So, everything becomes a gun -- sticks, straw, or whatever else he can find!