2nd post of January links

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/12/million-dollar-casserole.html

http://www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2012/12/orange-rolls.html

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/cheeseburger-macaroni.html

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/07/taco-cupcakes.html

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2010/06/15/australian-meat-pies/

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Enchilada-Casserole

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/easier-shepherds-pie-with-roasted-potatoes.html

http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2012/08/7-up-biscuits.html

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/10/silver-dollar-pumpkin-pancakes/

http://ellysaysopa.com/2009/07/07/breakfast-chicken-sausage-patties/

http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/crockpot-chicken-a-lorange

http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/honey-glazed-chicken-bacon-bites

http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/country-club-chicken

links to January menus

January 2013 links to monthly menus
1.  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/11/turkey-tetrazzini/
2.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/english-muffin-toastable-bread/
3.  http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/beef-bacon-and-barley-soup/170e9b81-8754-47ec-b280-ba2516678882/
4.  http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2011/04/crispy-cashew-chicken-stir-fry.html
5.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/tangy-bacon-topped-baked-chicken/
6.  http://messyaprons.blogspot.com/2011/03/garlic-cheese-biscuits.html
7.  http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com/2009/03/mexican-sour-cream-rice.html
8.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/bacon-potato-hash/
9.  http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Garlic-Knots?pmcode=ILIDV02T&_mid=2285942&_rid=2285942.558202.246679
10. http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/loaded-baked-potato-cassarole/
11. http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/barley-pilaf-caramelized-onions-4431?click=recipe_sr
12. http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/corn-fritters-recipe
13. http://www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2012/01/taco-cupcakes.html

January 2013 monthly menus

menus for January 2013
chicken:
   tetrazzini, garlic bread, green salad
   crock pot chicken a la orange, white rice, asian veggies
   honey glazed chicken with bacon, fried rice, veggies
   buttercream chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie
   country club chicken, corn casserole, barley pilaf
   cashew chicken stir fry, white rice, eggrolls
   chicken in walnut sauce,mashed pots, glazed carrots
   chicken & apple sausage, pumkin pancakes
   tangy bacon chicken, risotto, veggies
   cranberry chicken, rice a roni, veggies, 7-up biscuits
   bisquick chicken, white rice
beef
   cheeseburger quesadillas, baked fries
   beef stroganoff, buttered noodles, peas
   swiss steak, loaded BP cass, veggie
   salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, veggie
   shephard's pie (new recipe), soda bread
   million dollar spaghetti, garlic knots, veggie
   meat loaf, twice baked potatoes, green beans, biscuits
   taco supcakes, mexican sour cream rice bake, veggie
   australian meat pies, fruit, asst raw veggies
   enchilada casserole, corn cakes
   pot roast, carrots, buttered noodles
   tacos, refried beans, rice
   cheeseburger macaroni, veggie
soups
   beef, barley, bacon soup, some sort of bread
   meatball soup, some sort of bread
   cheeseburger soup, some sort of bread
misc.
   mongolian BBQ, rice
   bacon hash, crusty bread
   peas, ham, creamy noodles, garlic cheddar biscuits

OK guys wish me luck with this month's menus...I just counted and 19 are new recipes that I am very excited about...
in the next post, I will list links to new recipes so that then I can make up my shopping list...

chicken fried rice

we had leftover chicken from last night's chicken pie and I instantly knew what I wanted to make...I love this so much and so does everyone else in the family...and it is neat that I can use up the leftovers too...

tonight after I fried the rice and added the soy sauce and seasonings, I added
cashews
slivered carrots
frozen peas
bacon
chicken
green onions
chowmein noodles...

yummy...

homemade chicken pot pie...family favorite

anyone who has ever tasted my chicken pie loves it...I once served it to a missionary minister and he said at a church in Georgia, every year they raised money by selling chicken pies and mine was the best he had ever tasted...that meant a lot to me...there is a couple that lives across the street from me and they love it too...and I love to surprise them with a pie...

my chicken pie is so easy the way I do it too...

I use Pillsbury pie crusts in the biscuit section of the store and lay it in the pan...this is enough to make a 13 x 9 pan...
then I layer one small bag of frozen corn, and one small bag of peas and carrots...add the cooked, diced chicken...
for the sauce:
make a roux from 8 tbs of butter, 7 tbs flour, 2 cans of evaporated milk and one small box of chicken broth...
pour over chicken and veggies and add a top crust...
bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes...

everyone in the family loves this...Zoe makes her own personal little pie, cause she hates peas and carrots and she was finished her whole pie before anyone else ever got their's...

yummy

chicken waldorf salad

chicken salad with tator bites...
what do you put in your chicken salad?

I put chicken, celery, apples, walnuts, cranberries and mayo on top of a potato roll...

last night?  we had canned pea soup (my absolute favorite) and grilled cheese sandwiches...

tuna/pasta casserole

when I was a kid, we had tuna casserole a lot (A LOT) but hey, my mom had to think of cheap dinners to feed 12 kids...and we all loved it very much...but since I have been married I have never ever made it...my kids have never had it...

this is a most definitely a "while the cat's away" dinner as hubby hates tuna with a passion...he says if tuna was the only thing left on earth to eat, he would rather starve, thank you very much...

what I do in the mornings, I take Zoe to school and go straight to the store for anything I need for dinner so I do not have to make a couple of trips...and I was completely out of ideas for tonight...it is hard when Tim is on a diet and being mindful of that...and I am not sure what made me think of tuna casserole and I called Tim at work and asked if that was OK and he was all for it...

it was hard on my mom, having all of the right ingredients on hand at all times and she did things very simply, but always not a lot of taste...for spaghetti she would just throw in tomato sauce, salad dressing was just mayo tossed with lettuce and for tuna casserole, she would just toss in some cream of chicken soup with the pasta and that was it...and Iknew one thing this morning, I wanted a lot of taste in my dish...so I traveled around the grocery store and came up with a plan and here it is and it came out extremely delicious...

I cooked up a box of bowtie pasta till al dente, mixed in a can of cream of chicken soup, some sour cream (about 1/2 the container) lots of seasonings, frozen peas and mozarrella cheese and I also added some milk to the sauce to thin it out... (almost forgot the small can of all white tuna...)  I threw it into a baking pan and baked at 400 for about 20 minutes...served with some pumpkin bread that I had made...

I call it a success...I love the little crispy bow ties, can you tell I took off the top???

cheese fondue

this is most definitely a "cat's away," type dinner...hubby hates this but, everyone else absolutely loves it...hubby is in the hospital and tonight is the perfect night to have this...it is cold here and we also needed down home comfort...

we love to have little weinies, asst veggies, cut up bread and the must have is Wheat Thins...

my recipe (been making this for a good number of years...)

I make a roux with 8tbs butter, 8tbs flour and about 5 cups of milk...cook till thickened...add seasonings of choice (I add garlic salt and pepper) and stir in enough shredded cheese to taste...we like a lot of cheese, so I usually add one of the big bags and tonight I did a colby/jack blend...stir till melted...

yummy enjoy...

mac and cheese

alas no picture tonight...everyone started eating right away and then Tim and I thought about pics...   ):

anyway we all needed a down home comfort dinner tonight and this was my mother's recipe...when we were little we called this the adult mac n cheese, cause us kids liked the box variety...

so it is a really easy but yummy kind...
I use small shell roni, and cook until al dente...layer with shredded cheese in baking dish, ending with cheese...I then sprinkle garlic salt and pepper and I sometimes add bread or cracker crumbs to the top...I then por 2 cans of evaporated milk over the top...
bake at 400 for about 20-30 minutes...
we always have the same sides with this...
little weinies in BBQ sauce, a veggie and garlic biscuits...

yummy tonight...

spam pie

this was originally posted 6-19-11  but was for dinner tonight as Ross is in the hospital again...

when the cat is away...

the mice will, well you know the rest, right??? whenever Ross is away whether at his mom's, out of town, or even in the hospital (like now) Tim and I eat things that his dad HATES...

when he and I first met, I am a down home comfort girl that cooks for big crowds, coming from 12 kids, we had to stretch meals to feed a ton of people...he on the other hand, tho coming from 6 kids, his Italian mother, except for when making pasta (& she is fantastic at that) would always make a meat and potato dinner...so, that is what Ross was used to...oh, yeah when his mom would make spaghetti sauce, she would add whatever meat had been left over from the week (pork chops, whatever) to the sauce and simmer this sauce from early morning to dinner...

Ross absolutely hates rice and says it is from his days in Vietnam (I give him that) but, he also hated casseroles, creamed beef, soups, just really picky...oh yeah he HATES mac and cheese...so, after 37 years, I have changed him somewhat, mostly cause I was tired of always eating only what he liked and never anything that was dear to my heart...but, he still is extremely picky...

when the kids were little I was tired of always only cooking for Ross and never getting to eat what I myself and therefore the kids (might) like...so, I started cooking some things he liked, but also what I had grown up loving and adding my own twist to them...
I did win him over on some casseroles and my chicken pie and he likes my version of spaghetti...
so, when he is not here, Tim and I will eat what he hates...

one such thing he absolutely will not even try is my cheese fondue...every single person in my family loves it incl. Zoe but not him...I serve it with cut up veggies, a good artisan bread, little smokies and gotta have some wheat thin crackers...
another thing we like to have is an appetizer night and we come up with all sorts of "little" food...small pizza, tacquitos, mini corn dogs, veggies, chicken nuggets, you get the picture...
we also LOVE tuna melts...
but for dinneer this one particular night, decided to make my spam pie...and when I make this we grub...we eat so much of it, we are stuffed...I looked on Hormel and they do not have a recipe even close to this so I will list mine...I have done this for years when my kids were little...now, I know some people hate Spam but I really don't mind it...I can not eat it right out of a can like I could when I was a kid but, cooked now that is a different story...

recipe:
2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 can of Spam
1 brick of Monterey Jack cheese (8oz)
1 brick cheddar cheese
6 beaten eggs...

line 9 x 13 (after spraying with Pam) with the biscuits, careful to cover the perforated edges...
cut up Spam and dice cheese...mix together with eggs, pour into prepared pan...
sometime I lattice a crust over top, and sometimes I leave uncovered and the pieces of Spam sticking up will get a little toasty...
bake at 350 until middle is done when knife is stuck in it...usually 45 min...

yummy...could also try with sausage or bacon or ham

chicken and wild rice soup

my favorite...Coco's has a really good chicken and wild rice soup and once I started eating theirs, I would get only that for dinner there and nothing else...but, I wondered if I could replicate it at home and this is the result...

I make a roux with 6 tbs flour, 6 tbs butter, 2 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of milk...to that (after thickened, I add diced chicken, 2 cups of Minute rice, a can of diced carrots and some wild rice...oh and add whatever seasonings you care for...

nice dinner for everyone that has the flu here at my house...

upcoming weekly menus

tonight:  chicken and wild rice soup, crusty bread
Sat.:       chicken tetrazzini, green salad, garlic bread
Sun:       shepard's pie, fruit
Mon:      salsbury steak, mashed potatoes, veggie
Tues:      cashew chicken, rice, egg rolls
Wed:      cheeseburger macaroni (homemade version) veggie, garlic biscuits
Thurs:    baked Italian sausage and risotto, green beans
Fri:         macaroni and cheese, biscuits, peas, little weinies in BBQ sauce...

since I now have the dreaded flu that has been making it's rounds in my house, hopefully I can stick
to this meal plan...
wish me luck...

honey mustard chicken...

I am having a yucky couple of days and when I cook, it makes me feel better...I love Tim to come home to a nice hot, down home comfort meal...
saw this recipe online and Tim loves honey mustard and I knew right away he would appreciate this
for dinner...
you take chicken breasts, dipped into an egg and honey mustard mixture and then rolled into panko
bread crumbs and bake...
I also made roasted red potatoes, yummy green beans with almonds and cornbread...
everyone loved this dinner especially Tim and Zoe, who loves to follow in her uncle's footsteps with everything...
my emails have been hacked today, but once I get on, I will give credit to the blogger who posted this recipe...

corn chowder

love corn chowder...
and I really never had a good recipe until maybe a coule of years ago...

my corn chowder, I make a roux with 6 tbs. flour, 6 tbs butter and 4 cups of milk and I use about 1 cup of chicken broth...
stir thill thickened and add the amt of corn you want (I use frozen) and my family likes a lot of corn, I add 1 can of sliced carrots, 1 can of diced potatoes, some bacon and plenty of seasonings...

yummy with a nice crusty bread...

spaghetti

today has been frustrating and overwhelming for many reasons and I just wanted to have a good down home comfort dinner and spaghetti fit the bill...

nothing special to my spaghetti, but my family loves it...

I do add Italian sausage to the browned hamburger...hubby who is Italian, does not think anything is Italian unless there is sausage in it...

I add cheddar cheese to mine, cause I am American, not Italian...LOL...and I so love spaghetti as leftovers...

calico corn & bacon impossible pie

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-calico-corn-and-bacon-pie/3945dd60-7247-484a-b914-e473e29c2bb2

this is what I made for dinner tonight...tho I put plain corn, not calico and I added cheese...

jury is still out, everyone is still eating so I am not sure what they will say...I will say I am not real crazy about it...to me, these pies when I make them always need a little "something" and I am not sure what the something is...
Tim just said that he likes it, so it might just be me...who knows...will I make it again?  probably it gives a different view of dinnertime to the menus...

hamburger, rice & gravy...family favorite...

dinner tonight is a huge family favorite, everyone in the family loves it (tho I think hubby only tolerates it as he hates rice...) and it is especially good as leftovers the next day...

this was originally a Hamburger Helper flavor a very long time ago (before I ever thought of being married and having little kids of my own...)  when I first started out in nursing, I would babysit nurse's kids for them and one particular family I really loved the kids...and she knew I liked this dish and would always have it for me when I watched the kids...then, Hamburger Helper quit making it and I missed it so I came up with a version of my own...
so, for my family...

I make 6 cups of Minute Rice...
to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, browned I add seasonings and 4 cans of beef gravy...(totally easy)

and all of us add sliced almonds and chow mein noodles stirred in...

voila a very fast and yummy dinner...

chicken bowtie alfredo

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/12/bowtie-chicken-alfredo/

this is what I made for dinner tonight...and I used mini bow tie pasta...
forgive me but I forgot to put the chicken on my plate in this picture...

it was very good and I will make it again...

my 13 favorite food bloggers

I thought my friends might enjoy reading some of my favorite food bloggers, ones that I get a lot of inspiration from and some darned good recipes too...

so here we go:  and they are not in any particular order...I love them all...check for them on FB too,
most of them have FB pages too....

1. http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/

2. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

3. http://mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/

4. http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/

5. http://www.kevinandamanda.com/

6. http://www.southernplate.com/

7. http://yummyhealthyeasy.blogspot.com/

8. http://tastykitchen.com/

9. http://www.mommyskitchen.net/

10. http://www.ourbestbites.com/

11. http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/

12. http://www.plainchicken.com/

13. http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/

beef stew and homemade yeast rolls

so people are not feeling good here ( & I will kill (not literally) if I get sick)...it is a weird virus...fever, some cough but not bad but the virus goes on for a long time...
while trying to think of something everyone would eat even the sickies and I came up with beef stew and this is the first time I have made it for Fall...

I kind of cheat and use McCormick's seasonings for beef stew, but other than that, I take stew meat and cook it for like 6-7 hours in the crock pot and when ready, I add 8 cups of water and the seasonings, and any vegetables I have on hand...today?  I had carrots, potatoes, celery, corn, peas and
little pearl onions...

everyone was happy tonight with the rolls too...if you look close to the picture, you see steam coming from the stew...LOL

weekly menus 12/2 thru 12/8

when I am not stressed and frustrated I usually do monthly menus and I love doing it that way...it just takes a lot of work and time and patience (something I am very short on right now...) but I do love my
menus all planned out where I am not wondering at 5pm what the heck I am having for dinner that night...
hence, the weekly dinner plans for right now till I can get my silly life back in order (do not ask me how long that will take?)
but, I am trying...

so here we go...

menus for week of 12/2

1. sloppy joes, tator bites, green beans
2. beef stew, homemade biscuits
3. chicken alfredo, garlic bread, salad
4. spaghetti, cheese breadsticks, veggie (?)
5. corn chowder, english muffin bread (new recipe from Pioneer Woman)
6. hamburger rice and gravy, mixed veggies
7. impossibly easy bacon and corn pie, raw veggies & dip

yay for tonight it is a little cold and rainy and beef stew will fit the bill nicely...maybe some yeast rolls to go along with it?  will especially be good since a couple of people here still do not feel all that well...

sloppy joes

tonight (Sunday) there are a couple of people who do not feel good in this house (not me) and so it seems that everyone was kind of lazy and wanted a down home comfort dinner...
I am trying to be different and not cook the same thing too many days in a one month period and remebered that we had not had sloppy joes for awhile and everyone in the house loves them...

so I made sloppy joes (nothing fancy) with tator bites and green beans...

when a picture is posted here, you guys get the healthified version as it is Tim who I ask to take a picture of his plate and he is on "that whole eating better thing"...he onky took a few of the "baked" tator bites and he turned his sandwich around to not see the bite taken out...haha...

5 dinner post

sorry I have been slacking off just a little bit this last week...been busy trying to get the house clean for Christmas and kids and sick kids...you get the idea...

on Sunday, I made tacos, refried beans and spanish rice...

on Monday, I made chicken layered bake from the Kraft foods site:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-layered-chicken-bake-75568.aspx   but as I have said before, I use the Almadine version and this time, I added a little bit of sour cream to the soup and I added cranberries and I use peas instead of green beans...my family loves this dish, reminds them of Thanksgiving all in one dish...(pictured above...)

on Tuesday, I made homemade Chicken Noodle soup and biscuits...

on Wednesday, I made homemade Taco Casserole...(no picture, sorry)...
to browned hamburger, I add 1/2 pkg of taco seasonings, along with a large can of tomato sauce, sliced olives, corn, crushed tortilla chips and cheese...top with cheese and bake at 400 for about 25 min...

on Thursday, I made Bisquick coated baked chicken, fried rice, carrots and biscuits...

penne and italian sausage

made a very easy dinner tonight, have had a rough couple of days...

penne with sausage with a marinara sauce, with a salad and texas toast...

loaded baked potato soup

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/baked-potato-soup/c41d5252-b085-4ccf-9ae0-55df29ec31f7?src=SH

I did not follow the recipe exactly...I made a roux with the butter, flour and milk and then added the rest of the ingredients...for some reason it works out better for me this way...

delicious, everyone in the family loves it very much...

meatloaf (a new recipe) & corn cakes

I happen to love meat loaf very much and am constantly searching for the perfect recipe...lucky for me most of the members of my family also love it, cause I make it a lot...
I came upon this recipe from Kraft and it was pretty good...will it be my go to recipe for all times?  probably not...but I would most likely make it again...and everyone that ate said it was pretty good...

so with the meat loaf, I also made scalloped potatoes, broccoli, and a new recipe for corn cakes...

the corn cakes were very good and I will definitely make time and time again, there are so many possibilities with this recipe...I added a little bit of bacon and some cheese...

this dinner was a lot of work putting together but I wanted food to bring some harmony to our lives tonight and it seemed to do the trick...Tim was very happy (I had dinner done by the time he got out of work) cause between jury duty and work, he had not had a chance to eat today...he did ask if dinner would be a little lighter tomorrow?

link for the meatloaf:
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/make-ahead-cheesy-bacon-mini-133272.aspx

and the great thing about this recipe is that you can make up ahead of time and freeze them...

link for the corn cakes:
http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/12345

very yummy, just make sure you add a ton of seasonings, otherwise they are a little bland...

homemade pizza

I went to a Pampered Chef's party and bought one of their large pizza stones and cutter...I could not wait to get it and use it...
today was the day...yay...

bought the pizza dough from Trader Joe's, jarred pizza sauce, mozarrella cheese, & paremesan cheese...

they turned out pretty well...

and typing this right now, I bought breadsticks to go with the pizza and forgot about them...LOL...

anyway it is fun seeing what each person puts on their pizza...

Tim googled "healthy" pizza and came up with a carmelized onion, apple and swiss cheese one...and he had his on wheat dough...
Zoe wanted pepperoni, olives and mozarrella cheese
Me?  I stuck with pepperoni and mozarrella cheese...

not bad for homemade pizza (well sort of)...

and I do love the stone...my friend said you can use the stone for all sort of things, so I will...

today?

today is National Fast Food Day

breakfast for dinner casserole

http://www.talkingdollarsandcents.net/breakfast-casserole-for-dinner

since I made this the last time, I have been thinking of it and decided it would make a good down home comfort dinner tonight...

several people in this family are not feeling real well, and maybe they need some TLC, this should do the trick...
tonight instead of the biscuit in the picture, I added a green salad and fresh fruit...

today?

today is National Raisin Bran Day and National Bundt Cake Day...

November National Days

Georgia Pecan Month
Good Nutrition Month
National Peanut Butter Lover's Month
National Pepper Month
Raisin Bread Month
Vegan Month
National Fig Week	First Week
National Split Pea Soup Week	2nd Week
National Turkey Day	4th Thursday
National Stuffing Day	4th Thursday
National Leftovers Day	4th Friday

chicken tortilla soup (new recipe)

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2012/11/chicken-tortilla-soup.html

I used the above link for the base of the soup...I love unusual recipes and this one was interesting to me...
I browned one diced onion and added 10 cut up corn tortillas and continued cooking till tortillas were limp (I did not add peppers per recipe) I then added the broth and blended until smooth...
then parting from the recipe, I added cooked diced chicken, black olives, corn and some black beans...
Zoe wanted to try it as soon as it was done and proclaimed it "perfect..."

I did want to add more seasonings than I did, but I was out...(next time)

snickerdoodles

do not ask me why I would do such a thing when I have a migraine?  just do not ask, not sure of why myself...I guess you could say all for the love of a little girl who loves to bake...

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/snickerdoodles/7ffc92a9-d847-4869-9ecb-99de3b751b14

macaroni and cheese

today I woke up with a pretty good migraine, the kind that warranted me 2 naps today and it still did not help...I still have a migraine, and will most likely have it until I go to bed tonight....yay team me...

still I wanted a good dinner for Tim when he got home from work...this dinner is quick to put together and I was able to pick up all of the ingredients at Wal Mart when I went to get dog food...when I have a migraine, I need quick, I need easy...and we haven't had this for awhile either...Tim is also on his "eat better" way of eating and not eating a lot of beef, yet hubby is sick of
chicken...
but speaking of hubby, he is in the dog house (so to speak)...sent him to the store to get some biscuits and he got more than just that...I went in to the bedroom to see if he wanted me to dish up his dinner,
(I am a good wife like that) and there he was, eating a sandwich he bought at Ralph's...he did not want this for dinner...nice, huh?

this is the kind of mac and cheese my mom would make (think of how much would have to be made for 12 kids???) and I like it though it is not my favorite kind of mac and cheese...I like a more creamier kind and actually am still searching for my favorite recipe that one that will be my go to one
all of the time...sometimes, I do like this recipe however and does bring up some memories...
not sure if I told this story before...
one night when my kids were in high school, and hubby had been laid off from his job and I was working at Wal Mart, and with only one paycheck, it was a bad time in our lives...this night it was a
couple of days before payday and the only ingredients in the house were for this recipe...I called hubby from work and asked him to make this mac and cheese...got home and was so hungry, could
not wait for dinner...took one bite and it was horrible...silly hubby had used sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk...funny thing is he ate his whole plate, where the kids and I could not...

so...
I take 1 1/2 pkgs of macaroni (I usually use shell roni but Wal Mart only had elbows) cook till al-dente...then I layer a small bit in bottom of 13x9 greased pan...layer with macaroni and cheese, ending with cheese...I add garlic salt and pepper...then pour 2 cans of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk) over the top...bake at 400 for approx. 25 minutes...
I always make little smokies in BBQ sauce, broccoli and biscuits to go with this recipe...at tonight at least 4 of us liked dinner minus hubby...

chicken and wild rice casserole...OMGoodness

I have said it before and I will keep saying it, this is my hands down all time favorite dinner ever...
I love it so much and it makes terrific leftovers too...

it is a little bit of work getting it all together but very well worth every bit of trouble...
Christy's recipe calls for green beans and I put peas instead, that is how this family likes it...

http://www.southernplate.com/2012/01/chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole-and-becoming-the-crazy-daffodil-lady.html

I am so happy tonight and cannot wait for lunch tomorrow too...

porcupines

growing up as a kid, this was one of my most favorite meals (meat loaf and scalloped potatoes being the first...) with 12 kids (10 of them younger than me) I was usually in charge of cooking and for a lot of people too...

we were too poor for after school snacks and I would be starving by the time dinner came around but these meatballs, I could snack on them while I was cooking (my mom could never figure out why the amount of meatballs was way down when I cooked...)

and can I say here that there is no way possible that Zoe would wait after school till dinner to eat...OMGosh that kid, we have to meet her at school with a drink and a snack, or take her out...this year has not been such a problem as 6th graders eat lunch at 12:30 and they get out at 2...

another funny story, my kids love these and I had Christopher's friends convinced that this was really porcupine meat I was using...

so for porcupines, I add seasonings and uncooked rice to ground beef and brown them as meatballs, when browned, cover them with 2 cans of tomato soup (mixed with 1 can of water) and Tim likes to add shredded cheese to the top...

made parmesan noodles, broccoli and garlic cheese biscuits to the menu for tonight...

btw...hubby does not especially care for this dinner but I think it stems from his distaste of rice...

Bisquick mini pumpkin pies

stop what you are doing right now and go into the kitchen and make these and then eat them...they are
so yummy and take a very limited time to put them together...

I most definitely will make these again and again...

now, someone from Bisquick please come up with a recipe for Impossible Pecan Pie...

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-pumpkin-pies/29854cdf-9068-4bf2-bacc-0696cd74887e

the only thing I would do differently is add more of the mixture to the muffin pan that the recipe calls for...

my grand daughter Sian cannot wait for me to come up tomorrow and bring some of these...

taco salad without lettuce (?)

I think I have posted this before how I love (love) taco salad but I do not like lettuce with it...haha...

and today it is still in the 90's here and I wanted something cool (but then dumb me, I also made some
individual pumpkin pies...)

so for my taco salad I brown hamburger, put some in a bowl, top with cheese, olives, green onions, tomatoes, crushed up chips and ranch dressing...

that is it...and I have been craving this for a couple of weeks...love it...

mini sausage and cheese pies with Bisquick

today the weather is so hot...in the 90's and I woke up with the worst migraine...still have the pain at dinner time...but sometimes I get tired of eating out and so here is what I came up with...
those terrific Bisquick sausage & cheese mini pies...we love them at our house...paired them with tator tots, fruit (no sugar added) and some carrots...

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-breakfast-sausage-pies/daeffa4b-355d-466f-b712-86388de26b3f#?st=6&term=bisquick pie&ps=9&pi=9#?st=6&term=bisquick pie&ps=9&pi=9

chicken fried rice

I had a couple of leftover BBQ chicken breasts from Sunday and couldn't decide what to make with them...usually I would make chicken salad with them but already made THAT the other day...thought about it all day and then came up with chicken fried rice...yummy...and everyone in the family loves this dish, except for hubby (and he will eat it, if there is nothing else to eat) and thank goodness for him there was leftover lasagna from last night and he was only more than happy to have leftovers tonight...(you should have seen how big a piece he had tonight too...)

so anyway here is how I make my fried rice...

cooked rice (duh...of course) for my family I use 6 cups of cooked Minute rice...
I add only a little bit of oil to the hot wok and fry rice in 2 batches...fry in the oil for a few minutes, then add some spashes of soy sauce...I like all of the rice coated...then I start adding all of my other
ingredients...
tonight?  frozen peas, shredded carrots, green onions, chicken (diced), some cooked bacon, some cashews, and seasonings of choice and I let warm for a little bit and I make a well in the rice and add 3 scrambled eggs and stir and cook till done...

I have me one happy family tonight...

mock lasagna (my recipe)

this used to be this family's all time favorite Fall meal, till chicken and wild rice casserole came into the picture...we all could barely wait till Fall and this dish would be first on the menu right after the last summer day...

I came upon this recipe a very long time ago and have been making it for at least 30 years...hubby loves this one, big time...

he was so excited today when he saw what was for dinner and he even helped me make dinner (ya me too, I was shocked...LOL)

here's what you do:

brown hamburger (& I add Italian sausage also) then add 4 cups of water, 2 cans of (1 lb 12 oz) of stewed tomatoes, 2 cans of (16 oz) tomato sauce and any seasonings you want to add...I use garlic salt, pepper, a little Italian seasonings and parsley...some people in my family do not like chunks of tomato and so I put the stewed tomatoes in a blender first...
you heat the sauce to boiling, and simmer for 15 minutes...this part is important...

then you layer starting with some sauce to cover the bottom of the baking pan (for this amount of sauce ingredients, I use a 13 x 9 pan...) then add 1 1/2 pkgs. UNCOOKED noodles (I use wide egg noodles)
and ending with the rest of the sauce and top with mozzarella cheese...cover with foil and bake at 350 for aprox. 45 minutes...

happy eating...you will love this as much as we do...deliciousness...OMGosh...

when you let this sit for a few minutes after it is done, it cuts very nice and resembles lasagna...

Sunday night dinner

taking advantage of the heat wave we are experiencing here, I decided to BBQ...

made BBQ chicken and since hubby is tired of chicken (he says) he bought a steak for me to BBQ also...
so with the chicken (& do not judge me) I made fried rice, Rice a Roni (hey the family likes it), mixed veggies and Texas Toast...

everyone seemed happy with dinner...

chicken waldorf salad...

today?  don't ask...it was 92 here today...oh my...it is supposed to be Fall already...

so, I did not want to use my oven or stove and right away thought of chicken salad sandwiches...
one of Tim's favorites...

for my recipe, I use:
cut up cooked chicken
cranberries, dried
celery, diced
granny smith apples, diced
walnuts
& mayo...

mix all together and today I meant to get potato roll, hamburger buns and instead I got hot dog buns...but we make do here and actually it was pretty good...the buns were so soft...so delicious...

corn chowder

Fall is suposed to be here, although it was pretty warm here today and the Santa Ana winds have also kicked up (watch out Zoe's asthma) and it is supposed to be warm here through Sunday...
but, I am still trying to cook every single night...I really wanted to eat out today, but made myself go to the store and cook...
I wanted something cost effective and something everyone likes and so I picked corn chowder...
and my recie could not be easier...

I melt 1 stick of butter in large pan and add 6 tbs flour, then stir in 1 large can of chicken broth, and 2 cans of evaporated milk to make a roux...once thickened I add 1 large bag of frozen corn, 1 can of sliced carrots, 1 can of whole potatoes (diced), seasonings of your choice (I add garlic salt, pepper and parsley...)  and I add some cooked and diced bacon...(I have added cooked diced chicken to this also and it was yummy...)

Tim likes this soup a little on the thick side and it works well this way...he was pretty happy with dinner tonight...
I had planned on making yeast rolls to go with it, but time got away from me tonight...

swedish meatballs

Tim is having sort of a bad time at work lately and I like to make him happy with having dinner done by the time he gets home and Swedish Meatballs is one of Tim's favorites...
he is on a health kick, watching what he is eating, portion control and also working out at the gym...he has lost 13 pounds since starting...I am happy he is doing this as heart disease runs rampant
in our family...

my Swedish Meatball recipe is no secret, I use the McCormick's seasoning mix...my family loves this
one and it makes it much easier too...for Tim's healthy eating I used whole wheat noodles and very lean ground beef...he also loves the petite baby mixed veggies I made...

when I make something like this for dinner I have to get out however many dishes for the number of people eating, for correct portion control or one or two people would take the most...everyone in the
family incl. the princess loves this dish...

twice baked potatoes with ham

yay for Fall...my oven ban has been lifted...I love oven meals so much...
tonight?
twice baked potatoes with ham and green beans...

they tasted so good and everyone was happy with dinner tonight...

for my recipe I bake the potatoes and let cool for a bit, then I cut them in 1/2 and scoop out the insides...mash well with 1 stick melted butter, cheddar cheese (to your liking) and diced ham...add
seasonings of your choice and scoop back into potato shell...top with more cheese...bake at 400 for
approx. 20-25 minutes...I want to try adding some sour cream next time too...

leftovers

since I did manage to cook for 5 days straight, we have plenty of leftovers...execially chicken pie...that is what I said we were having for dinner...
I sent hubby to store for one thing...one thing...and of course he comes home with bags full of whatever and a SUBWAY sandwich...he did not want leftovers...silly silly hubby...
then that got me to thinking maybe I didn't want leftovers either, and so I had something that I am so
addicted to...I could have it every day and not get sick of it...I love Stouffer's turkey breast and mashed potatoes so, that is what I had...
son (Tim) was the only one that had chicken pie...

tomorrow?  really want to make corn chowder, but Tim said he might take us out for dinner...

today?

today is world Egg Day and it is National Sausage Pizza Day

Sunday brunch

this is where we ate on Sunday...

http://www.pe.com/iguide/dining/dining-headlines/20121011-riverside-the-soup-shoppe-is-a-cozy-stop.ece

kielbasa & roasted potatoes

there is a reason that I made what I did for dinner tonight...Tim found kielbasa on sale at Target for only .58 (yes that is right 58 cents) and I normally do not cook kielbasa...so since he bought it, I have
been wondering how to prepare it...
I really wanted to make like a kielbasa, tortelleni, & spinach soup, but there are some really picky people who are eating my food lately and that soup would not have gone over very well at all...if I got a fight last night over using thin spaghetti noodles, well, you know what would've happened with spinach in a soup?  I think only 3 of us would've liked that...(& 3 would not have...)  LOL...

so while I was attempting to sleep last night (& not doing a good job of it) it came to me to make it with some roasted red potatoes and serve with some delicious veggies and some cheddar garlic biscuits...

so, that is exactly what I did and everyone in the kingdom, proclaimed it a dinner fit for a king...(ya right !!!)

did not get a picture of the biscuits...but they were very yummy...

told hubby he was to do the dishes...

today?

today is National TV dinner day...

spaghetti and meatballs

so we were at Disney for the morning, I babysat Cj and the last thing I wanted to think about was dinner...but, we have to eat...

made spaghetti and meatballs, but cheated with canned sauce (OMGosh, right?) frozen meatballs,
whole wheat pasta but I did add Italian sausage to the sauce...

tonight?  I have something much better in mind but it will take some time to get it all done...

stay tuned to see what I have up my sleeve...

my absolute favorite...

http://www.southernplate.com/2012/01/chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole-and-becoming-the-crazy-daffodil-lady.html

I am one happy girl tonight...happy happy happy...this is my absolute very favorite dinner ever...hands down...when I found this recipe I could not have known how much I would love it...
Tim came home and dinner was almost done, and he said, "oh that looks so good, I cannot wait for it."  hubby liked it, Sam came over for some and Zoe made her own little version in a little foil
pan (thoshe omitted the peas & almonds) and she too loved it...
dinner has been over for about 2 hours and I am really thinking of going for leftovers right about now...

you guys have got to make this at least once and I promise you will love it too...maybe not quite as
much as I do, but you will at least like it...I asked hubby how much he liked it and he said he likes it
but that he loves the chicken pie I made the other day a little better...

Christy in her original recipe uses green beans and I use peas...she said she doesn't always use the sour cream but I do...

yummy yummy yummy

today?

this week is National American Beer Week

and this day, today is National Frappe Day...

now you know, thanks for asking...

what is October known for?

National food days for October:

for the month:

Eat Better, Eat Healthier Month

Eat Country Ham Month

National Apple Month

National Applejack Month

National Caramel Month

National Chili Month

National Cookie Month

National Dessert Month

National Pickled Peppers Month

National Pizza Festival Month

National Popcorn Poppin' Month

National Pork Month

National Pretzel Month

National Seafood Month

Vegetarian Awareness Month

easy peasy meatball soup

the temps are so much better around here and I am thrilled to say the least...I just wish the humidity would play nice also...we have the a/c on and I am making soup...

did you guys know that at Ralph's bakery they sell a loaf of bread ready to put in your oven?  we picked a multigrain Italian loaf...you stick it in the oven at 400 for about 20 min. and your house smells divinely...so while the soup is simmering on the stove, your bread is baking it's little heart
out for you in the oven...

simple soup...I have tried this many different ways, tried potatoes instead of pasta...different kinds of
pasta, rice, and all different possibilities of veggies...
this basic one is the one my family loves the best...
so here we go...

8 cups of water
2 pkgs of McCormick beef stew seasoning mix
1/2 pkg of noodles (tonight we used whole wheat noodles)
1/2 pkg of frozen peas
frozen meatballs (how many you want to go in)

mix up the water, seasoning mix and add the meatballs, bring to a boil, add noodles (or what you are
using)...simmer till noodles are done...
I add the peas at the end as I like them to be still a little firm and nice and shiny...

son and hubby are so happy that this is supposedly soup weather...I wanted to make my chicken and
wild rice casserole tonight and hubby informed me that there is a law you cannot have chicken 2 nights in a row...(ya right...like I believe that...)

son (Tim) is on a diet (not really to lose weight) altho he has lost 12 pounds...he mostly is trying to eat better and hopefully keep heart disease at bay (which runs rampant in our house...)
so, if you are also trying to eat better, you could use turkey meatballs and whole wheat pasta...

chicken pot pie

the oven ban has been lifted, yay...the temps today are in high 80's (humidity is still up there) but I am so happy that I decided to chance it and turn the oven on...

so what had everyone in my family "chomping at the bits?"  bugging the heck out of me, till dinner
was done...

homemade chicken pot pie...

Tim's favorite and hubby and Samantha love it too...

it would be my favorite, but once I found the recipe for chicken and wild rice casserole it plays a close second in my book...

it is so easy too...

I use Pillsbury's ready pie crust in the biscuit section...

lay your crust down, add cooked diced chicken, 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots and 1 bag of frozen
corn (layer style)

sauce:
make roux with 8 tbs. butter, 6 tbs flour, 2 cans of evaporated milk and 2 cans of chicken broth...and I
must say that I make the best roux ever...for this recipe it always comes out perfectly...add seasonings
as desired (I add a small amt of garlic salt and pepper)...pour sauce over chicken and veggies, top
with another crust...make steam holes in top...I always like to cut out a heart shape with a cookie cutter...
bake at 400 for about 25 to 30 minutes...

enjoy...yummy
I am so so so so happy for fall temps...

today?

according to this:
http://www.tfdutch.com/foodh.htm

today is National White Chocolate Day...

yum

new crackers

Tim found these at the store and thought I might like them...he was right...I knew from the minute I opened the box and the smell was divine, that I would love them...

breakfast for dinner

I tried this new recipe tonight for dinner and dang it all, thought temps were down enough to turn the oven on (and it wasn't)...I am so hot right now...this recipe better make up for me being hot...

I will let you guys know how it turns out...I am so sick of not being able to use my oven...and the 10 day forecast does not give me much hope...

http://www.talkingdollarsandcents.net/breakfast-casserole-for-dinner

OK this was pretty good...Chris and Tim both loved it, had seconds and said they would want it again...to me it was good...good enough to turn my oven on in the summer good?  not sure...but I would try it again and maybe tweek it a little...

looking forward to Fall baking...

I think next week (when it is a little cooler) I am going to go to Wal Mart and get all new baking sheets, casserole pans, muffin tins, and cake pans...that way I will be all ready the day the first cool day hits I can start baking...
I am going to make sure my over is nice and sparkly and ready too...

here are a few new treats I want to try:

1.   http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/09/healthy-meal-mondays-apricot-oatmeal.html
how yummy do these sound?  my mom used to make a similiar one and we all loved them...

2.   my peanut butter cookies (everyone says I make the best PB cookies)

3.   http://ladywiththeredrocker.com/2012/08/17/jell-o-cookies-and-playdough-too/ 
how cute are these?  Zoe would love to help me with these...Si would too

4.   http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details/default.aspx?recipeID=5560 
I love a good coconut pie

5.   http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/09/pumpkin-snickerdoodle-cookies.html
this is quite possibly this first recipe I will try...love love love snickerdoodle cookies and then add my love of pumpkin to them also?  oh my goodness...

6.   http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/bread/muffins/snickerdoodle-muffins-2.html?utm_source=spop&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Whats%20Cookin%202012%20-%20Sep%207%20(1)&utm_content=

7.   http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/11/cream-cheese-pumpkin-roll-bars.html

8.   http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/03/gooey-lemon-bars.html

9.   http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/06/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie.html

10. http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/09/3-layer-brownie-goody-bars.html

this is just a handful of desserts I want to make once cooler days come my way...

BBQ roasted chicken dinner for Labor day

this was not today, was last week and I never posted about it...

one of those days when it was super hot and I made this big dinner then was too wiped out to eat it...

family said it was delicious...

Zoe had gone to the waterpark with Si and Cj and so I made them plates also, so when they came home they had a good dinner...Si is a girl after my own heart...she loved the potatoes since I put bacon and cheese in them...they were so hungry that they ate their dinner in the car on the way home...LOL...

hot weather(still)

here we are a month and a half since I last posted and it is still super duper hot here, today supposed to be 107...oh my dear Lord...I need help...I melted a long time ago (the heat really does get to me, it just wipes me out) and then add to the list today I woke up with a pretty bad migraine...but, for some stupid reason, I cannot shut off my brain when I am laying around with a migraine...my mind goes into overdrive and I think of things that I should be doing...and today menu planning was one of those cyclones in my head...
to say I cannot wait for Fall temps to get here is an understatement...I absolutely hate everything about summer except for the laid back (no school) lazy dazy feel of the day...I hate it that the poor kids are back to school and it is so hot for them...and we probably have about another month of this before it lets up too...
my son's BD is Oct. 15th and when he was younger we would always take him and his brother and sister to the county fair and I would for the first time all summer have to pack jackets for them...so, I know it is coming...the thing is can I hold out that long???  today, if you asked me, the answer would be no...I cannot handle it tho there is nothing I can actualy do about the weather...

anyway...

the cyclone in my head today was telling me (LOL) that I should start my Fall menu planning and OMGosh I cannot wait for oven meals and baked goods again...

my son asked what the first meals I was going to make once it cools down were going to be?  so I thought I would share with you guys too...

1.    homemade chicken pot pie (yay, our family's all time favorite) and at the same time I am going to make some handheld ones and freeze them for lunches or whatever...
my mouth is already watering thinking of this...

2.    the chicken and wild rice casserole from Southern Plate (this would really be my favorite)

3.    my mock lasagna

4.    my corn chowder with some homemade crusty bread

5.    my loaded baked potato soup, once again with homemade bread or some pumpkin muffins (made from my delicious pumpkin bread recipe)  gosh I cannot wait for this one

6.    a good old fashioned spaghetti, meatballs and Italian sausage

7.    twice baked ham and cheese potatoes

8.    my taco casserole (little princess loves this one)

9.    meatloaf and cheddar potatoes

10.  macaroni and cheese

so, there you have it...my top 10 all time favorite Fall meals that I cannot wait to make...the list could go on and on but you get the idea...

my October menus to come as soon as my migraine feels a little better...

herb roasted chicken on the BBQ

what can I say?  still hot here...but, the mugginess is the worst tho today does feel a tiny bit better...

Tim is getting tired of eating out so I decided to make him a good dinner tonight even tho I am not
feeling 100% and the heat is wearing me out...
so, I dry rubbed the whole chicken (I actually did 2 of them) with some of my favorite seasonings and slow roasted them on the BBQ for 2 1/2 hours...and it came out so nice, flavorful and moist...
to go with the chicken, I made fried rice Rice a Roni (I know I know) because I love it...always feels like comfort food to me...
with the left over chicken, I want to make chicken salad later this week...
Tim made peas...
voila a good down home comfort meal the easy way...now I just hope someone else does dishes...
restaurants this week were:

Anchos
Sizzler
Little Green Onions
John's Incredible Pizza (not incredible...)
Coco's
Wendy's (cause Sian wanted)
Red Robin (Tim took us out last night) (new restaurant just opened...)

going to try really hard to cook all week...ya right...we'll see how well I live up to this...

chicken fried rice

even though it is very hot here, the humidity is high, I am burning up and I still after 7 days have a migraine, we still have to eat and it is the day before payday....so what to make?

I had 3 chicken breasts in the freezer and if I could turn the oven on my first choice with a couple of chicken breasts would have been that terrific chicken & wild rice casserole that I have posted about previously...too bad I cannot and will not turn the oven on in this heat...
I was fantasizing about fall days last night thinking what would be my first fall day dinner?  definitely the chicken & wild rice casserole...

so back to tonight...it dawned on me that I had all of the other ingredients for chicken fried rice...so that is what I did...
and I was smart this morning while it was a little bit cooler, I made the rice, cooked the bacon and chicken and put them all away...so when it came time for dinner it was so much easier to throw it all together...

my fried rice

I brown the already cooked rice in small amt oil add garlic salt and pepper and then add soy sauce (I add enough to make all of the rice a tiny bit brown) and then added bacon, chicken, green onions, frozen peas, shredded carrots, some almonds and oh yeah of course some scrambled egg...

there you go...

after we ate, I went in and told (didn't ask (LOL) ) hubby the kitchen was his to clean up tonight...I get to sit since I do not feel good and I had kids all day and I am tired...

dinner was pretty good if I do say so myself...it hit the spot...

Sizzler

I was going to make chicken fried rice for dinner and with it being so hot and I have had a migraine for 6 out of 7 days, hubby decided to play nice and took me and Zoe out to dinner...
we got to the end of the street where we would have to turn one way to go to Anchos or the other way and go to Sizzler...I let the little princess make the decision and she picked Sizzler as she loves their buffet, especially the clam chowder...I was really looking forward to the nice homemade warm flour tortillas from Anchos that I just love with some butter...OMG...I could eat those and nothing else they are that good...
but Sizzler was pretty good tonight too and Zoe ate pretty good...she had 2 bowls of clam chowder and it was a nice night...no attitude from the princess and it was very apparent how big she is really getting, listening to her talk like an adult and when she walked away from the table, it kind of tore at my heart, seeing how adult like she is now, especially compared to the littles...she can be a really good girl...
hubby and I both got the senior steak dinner and it was good tonight, especially since I did not have to cook...

BBQ meatloaf

itis hot here today, in the high 90's and everyone that knows me, knows that is way too hot for me, but I am really missing cooking...but I just cannot heat my kitchen up...once I do that the heat just settles into the house for all night...
so I wanted meat loaf, I happen to love it and decided to put it on the grill instead of the oven...
this is the recipes that I usually use:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/30-minute-mini-meat-loaves/d691ebd6-743b-4dc1-a04c-40ee7da480d5?p=1

edit to add:  in place of the pork, I used Italian sausage, without the casings of course...
my son who is sometimes critical of my cooking (thinks he can do it better than me) loved it and asked what I put in the meat...

and I also threw some potatoes on the grill so we could have baked (on the grill) potatoes and I will make some kind of veggies and I also have some garlic bread to put on when everything else is done...
will take pics when it is done...
didn't get pics as I was on phone with my sister long distance, when dinner was done and everyone started eating right away...

BBQ beef sandwiches

it is still very hot here, tho I do not expect it to cool down any time soon...it was supposedly in the high 80's today but it seems hotter than that...oh well...we still have to eat...and I am so tired of eating out...
dug out the crock pot and made this:

http://therickettchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-bbq-beef-sandwiches.html
and with it I also made:

fried potatoes and baked beans
corn onn the cob
cole slaw

by the way this is hubby's plate...remember I cannot eat after I cook in this heat???

still very hot

still continuing with the sandwiches in this horrible weather and we also eat out quite a bit...
a couple of days ago, I made pork chop foil packets with apples and onions and the family said they were pretty good...
I am continuing with not being able to eat very much in the heat...
tho, I am kinda stuck on the Stouffer's turkey breast and mashed potatoes...not sure why I even crave it on days when I don't have it in my freezer...
so where have we been out eating?
let's see:
Wendy's
Pepititos
Coco's
Pick up Stiks
Upper Crust Sandwiches
Farmer Boy's
Little Green Onion's
Sizzler
I think that is it...

so tonight even tho it is still very hot here, sort of felt compelled to cook tonight...was going to BBQ meat loaf and one package of meat was not good when I took it out of the freezer...
so I had to come up with a plan B and this is what I did...
made hamburger, rice and gravy...browned hamburger, white rice, seasonings, canned beef gravy and we all like to add chow mein noodles and sliced almonds...

too hot

since 4th of July, it has been extremely hot here...too hot to cook at least in the oven...we have gone out to eat a little bit, also had sandwiches...
we had tuna melts one night, turkey & bacon roll ups, egg salad, and tonight I made tacos...it was really too hot to even make tacos, but I pushed thru my discomfort and made dinner...
they wee pretty good tho in this heat it is hard to even eat...
that is all

tri tip & ?

happy 4th of July to you...

and of course we (or should I say I) BBQ'd today...isn't that a requirement of today?

so, I made slow roasted tri tip, we had leftover mac salad, a new recipe of cheesy corn & bacon bake, texas toast and cherry crisp

link:  http://sunflowersupperclub.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-corn-and-bacon-bake.html

I wanted something different as the meat and mac salad I do a lot and was hoping to wow huby and son with a new dish...

one of my favorite desserts (well hubby's too but he likes it with apples) is cherry crisp and am sure Tim loves also...

link:  http://sunflowersupperclub.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-corn-and-bacon-bake.html

hubby and son declared dinner a hit, so there you go...


it is funny without Zoe and Sam here they are at a friend's house that you can see the fireworks from her back yard...
I added a picture of a flag...every year a reality company places a flag in everyone's front yard...I think it is such a nice touch, and I look forward to it every year...it is so nice to look down the block and see so many flags...