week one of friends meals...

Saturday.....pasta with meatballs casserole...kids loved this one

Sunday.......chicken enchiladas, so so yummy

Monday.....stuffed pork chops and green beans...I have never had pork chops like these ones before...

Tuesday.....chicken, rice, tortillas, beans...

extra day....spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert...

this is so special for someone going through something like I am...I really want to thank our PTA President Sheila for thinking of this and I cannot wait to feel better and help someone too..

hardest post of my life to write

my heart is broken...it will take awhile to put it back together...when people would say they have experienced indescribible grief, I did not know what they meant...I have only been to a handful of funerals in my life...
all of that changed less than a week ago...

my husband has been sick...heart problems, dialysis etc...he was a door gunner on a helicopter in Vietnam, joining when he was only 18...agent orange was responsible for all of his medical problems...
the day after Christmas at 3 am when he got up to get ready for dialysis he fell...but I did not think it was bad...he was arguing with the paramedics about going to the hospital (he was too big for me to try and get up and I had to call the fire dept)...they kind of forced the issue and said he needed checked out and so off they went...he was only to stay to get checked and get dialysis and then come home...they decided to keep him another couple of days to make sure he was ok...
in the hospital, his health went up and down a couple of times but they had him all better and were in fact going to transfer him to a rehab facility to have him walking good and wouldn't fall...he was to be transferred on Friday...on Wednesday we got a call that he "coded twice" and was in ICU...

we got up there and a doctor pulled me aside and said we needed to make some difficult decisions right away...we signed a do not resusciate order and they said they would give us a couple of days to see if we wanted to take him off life support...but they went ahead and took him off Friday morning and he woke up for a little while and we were able to tell him we loved him and he actually mouthed the words too...

he died Saturday morning...

this is a food blog and I did not mean for this to sound so morbid but I did not want everyone to think I abandoned it either...

the school that I "work" for and my grandchildren go to has set up a meal program for us...and can I just say that this is wonderful...I would not have been able to think of cooking right now too...so I thought I would list what is being brought to us and show everyone what great friends I have...

honey garlic chicken and veggies

http://damndelicious.net/2015/06/05/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken-and-veggies/


this is what I wanted for dinner tonight but found this recipe too late for slow cooker so instead I am baking in the oven...chicken was roasted last night so I will add to veggies part way through to not over cook it...

this looks delicious...cannot wait to try it...

update...came out of the oven so yummy...

here is what I did...I had roasted some chicken yesterday and then I saw this recipe...and I really wanted to try it but not enough time for the slow cooker...
so I cut up all of the veggies and put into a baking pan (and can I just say that I have never in my whole life ever cooked a green bean from the produce aisle?)  hahaha...I usually use frozen ones...Tim and I are really trying hard to eat a lot more healthy and this really seemed like the ticket to do just that...
so, the veggies are playing nice in the baking pan and according to the recipe I made the sauce and poured over the veggies...covered with foil and baked about 45 minutes in the oven at 350...took off the foil and added cut up chicken (cause remember it was already roasted) and cooked for aobut another 20 minutes...
there is so much yummy sauce that I made some brown rice to soak up that goodness and it was so so so yummy, definitely a keeper...

you must try this and next time I will try in the slow cooker...

Tuna noodle casserole

I am still sick (dr tomorrow) and cat is still away and I am desperately seeking comfort food...remembered way back when my mom used to make tuna casserole all the time (it was cheap for 12 kids...) and this most certainly was not on my monthly rotations...ha...but I craved it still the same...
my mom was not real creative but how could you be, being the mom to 12 kids and being very poor...her casserole consisted of shell roni, tuna and cream of chicken soup...come on, you know me I had to be a lot more creative than that...

cat is still in the hospital and hates tuna so I have to cook like this now, when he is not here...

so I researched different blogs all morning on what would make the perfect tuna casserole and I know that the pasta plays a big part in this...but, I wanted a noodle...

so here is what I did...

1 pkg of cooked noodles, I added tuna (I don't like big chunks), 1 small can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 container sour cream, frozen peas, cheddar cheese and my seasonings...put into a baking pan and crushed up some ritz crackers on top and poured some melted butter on top of that...baked at 400 for about 20 minutes and I must say I am very happy with the results...

will definitely make this again, it was the comfort food I so badly need right now

forgot to add, when it seemed to need a little moisture, while mixing, I added a little half and half...

Fully loaded baked potato soup...yum

I am so sick today...oh my...this is day 12 of prednisone and I was starting to feel halfway normal from the Christmas day bug I had gotten...then today I wake up  with a headache, really bad sore throat, cough and wheezing...I give up...I just want to feel better...

So if I have to cook when not feeling good, soup it is...http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/fully-loaded-baked-potato-soup-204503.aspx

this is the recipe that I hae always loosely based my potato soup on...I personally do not like huge chunks of potato in my soup, so I love that these are first baked potatoes and then mashed a little...one time family asked for a little chunkier and I just added one can of potatoes cut up...and it served the purpose...

note to self for next time...I tripled the recipe and I think it needed a little more potato...so instead of 2 potatoes per recipe maybe 2 1/2 or 3?  otherwise tonight it was spot on, perfect seasonings and everything...(my usual garlic salt, pepper, onion powder...)  and I add a couple of spoons of sour cream with the cheese at the end...

yum so perfect for a sick kind of night...

Oven BBQ pork ribs & homemade potato salad

when hubby first lost his really good paying aerospace job it was very rough on us...I got a job working for Wal Mart but he never got that pay status again...towards the end just before we lost our house and car, he took a job at a little family owned butcher and he got paid in meat instead of monies...he came home with these pork ribs one day and I had never seen them or cooked them and I asked the guy he worked for how to do them and this is what he said...guess they are not really ribs per se, but cut from the shoulder...

so, all I do is cover the meat with BBQ sauce, cover them with foil and let them cook for hours...today while at Wal Mart getting groceries (these were not on my monthly rotation) but I kept coming around and finally decided to just buy them and make them for tonight...I have been craving them for awhile now...

everyone is excited about dinner and I was not sure what to make to go with them, kind of wanted au-gratin potatoes but someone on facebook thought potato salad and cornbread sounded good so that is what I made...

my potato salad is so good,
red boiled potatoes, celery, green onions, black olives, dill pickles and of course chopped eggs...tons of seasonings (garlic salt, pepper, celery salt, onion powder) some mustard and mayo...today I added some crumbled bacon to the mix too...

made cornbread muffins and a vegetable medley...

yum

weekly post from 1/7 through 1/14 (pulled from my monthly post...

1.    chicken lazone with angel hair pasta
2.    apple cider pork roast
3.    loaded baked poatao soup
4.    cashew chicken with rice
5.    salisbury steak with mashed potatoes
6.    tt breakfast cass
7.  seas chicken. green beans  and potatoes in slow cooker
8.  chciken enchiladas, rice and beans

Epiphany Day cheese fondue

wanted to try something new this year to continue the spirit of Christmas a little longer and I read up on Epiphany...I knew about it, going to religious schools all of my life but wanted a more grown up version...to make a long story short we decided to celebrate Kings day by exchanging books with each other and we each came up with some really good subjects for books...everyone was happy...I will do this every year from now on...
and I wanted something easy for dinner not like the dinners I had made for Christmas Eve, Christmas night, Christmas morning and all of the New Year's meals too...

everyone oves my cheese fondue, especially Tim and Zoie so that is what I decided to make...

have posted about this before but I started doing it a little different and wanted to post before I forget what I actually did...

melted 1 cube of butter in dutch oven and made a roux with8 tablespoons Wondra flour (the soft stuff made for gravies, etc.) and this is were it is new I added about 2 cups of chicken broth and then 2-3 cups of milk...I let thicken and then seasonings and about 16 ounces of shredded cheese...a good sharp cheddar is good...let that thicken...

parired with;
little beef smokies
cut up veggies
french bread
and the have to have is wheat thin crackers...

so so yummy

our new tradition

oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookie bars

http://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-pecan-cookie-bars/

with everything so crazy in my life right now, I definitely needed a sense of normalcy,  and for New Year's I wanted to bake more...want to try for like every Sunday...and I believe Tim needs a treat every now and then even though he does not really eat sweets...

I hope this fits the bill...

Zoie is here and she actually made these by herself so we shall see...

these were so good, definitely a keeper, in fact they are all gone today...

sicilian mac and cheese

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sicilian-mac---cheese?trkid=FBPAGE_TOH_20161219_Dinner_New_OneDish_Pasta_DetailPage


cannot wait for this one to be done...am so excited about it...pairing with garlic bread and italian green beans...

this is a keeper...if I did not already have a go to my favorite mac n cheese this would be it...everyone loved it and Tim took for lunch today too...

yummy

creamy tomato tortellini soup with grilled cheese pot roast sandwiches

cold here and we need warmth...hard to turn heater on as it exacerbates Zoie's asthma, which is acting up anyways...she was in the ER on Sunday again...

so I knew I wanted soup but I had a pot roast in the slow cooker...

came upon this recipe for soup and it sounded so yummy that I decided to make sandwiches with the roast and the rest is history...

dinner is done but we have not eaten...

https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/171098794/creamy-tomato-tortellini-soup/?locale=en

dinner was very good and everyone loved it...they want it again...

I cooked the roast all day in slow cooker with some onion soup and then diced it up really tiny and added it to grilled cheese on sourdough bread...

just what we needed tonight...Sam loved coming home tonight to a nice warm dinner waiting for her...I may never get her to go back home

bubble up pizza

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/03/bubble-up-pizza.html

I have been wanting to try this for awhile now and just decided to make it tonight...helps cat is still not home, cause I don't think this is his kind of dinner...

Zoie helped make it and we made one pan of pepperoni and one with pepperoni and sausage...the only pepperoni one is already done and it really is pretty darn good...

will definitely make it again and just think of the different possibilities...

yum

paired with green salad and cut up veggies

one pot turkey skillet meal...very good

http://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/2015/03/one-pot-turkey-skillet-recipe.html

I followed the recipe for everything (I always try to follow a new recipe exactly when I first do it...)

but for some reason I did not read the recipe before I tried it...and I already had part of a roasted turkey breast and had planned on using that but once I got ready to cook I saw the recipe called for ground turkey...I had to re-do the recipe...

so here is what I did...

I cut the turkey breast up into very tiny pieces and warmed them up in the skillet with some butter and seasonings (garlic salt, pepper and onion powder...)
to that I added 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 can of cream of chicken soup...I also added 1/2 package of frozen peas, 3 cups of cooked brown rice and for a little more creaminess I added 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 cup of shredded cheese...
I dished the mixture into individual bowls with some more cheese on top with some crushed fritos on top...(if I didn't have fritos, Tim said I should add some slivered almonds...)

the brown rice adds nuttiness to this dish

Timothy and Zoie loved this and definitely want this again...

yummy

my 15+ top viewed posts for 2016

here we go, this always excites me...in no particular order...

1.    my own hashbrown casserole

2.    cheese fondue

3.    creamy pasta, bacon and peas

4.    hamburger soup

5.    sour cream beef and rice bake

6.    mini meat loaves

7.    dreamsicle pie

8.    smothered pork chops

9.    round steak and onions

10.  korean beef

11.  my own swiss steak

12.  chicken and wild rice

13.  homemade mac and cheese

14.  layered chicken bake

15.  monthly menu plans

update...pea soup, my own chicken pot pie also placed high in most viewed


I love to see how each year compares to the last...

New Year's Day tradition...beef stroganoff

my son Tim's absolute favorite...

and there is no special recipe to this...and it is pretty straight forward and easy to do...

I use the McCormick's seasoning packet and other than cutting the meat and letting it cook on stove for about an hour, the rest goes together in just minutes...

I used london broil today and it was so nice and tender...

served with buttered noodles and maple glazed carrots...

yummy

my own pumpkin bread

I have used this recipe exclusively since I found it before I was married and I totally love it and so does everyone else...such a nice sweet and moist bread...

here is what I do...

1 large can of pumpkin
9 eggs
3 cups of white sugar
3 cups of canola oil
mix these ingredients well
add in
4 1/2 cups of flour
3 packages of vanilla instant pudding
3 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
nutmeg and cinnamon
and nuts if you prefer (I do...)

mix well...this particular recipe makes about 4 large pans or 9-10 smaller pans (great for gifts...)

bake at 350 for about 50-60 minutes...

yum...this is the first time I have ever shared this recipe...when I worked in the ICU I would make these and sell them to people at the hospital...

you will not be disappointed

my own cheddar and sour cream potatoes

a friend gave this recipe a long time ago, when my kids were little and everyone I have ever come across loves this...I know there are a lot of versions of this recipe floating around and everyone seems to have their own version...but this is the one that our family and friends really love...

this is what I do...

I take 10 cans of whole potatoes (and this is very important...I have used the frozen ones and then I have used real grated potatoes and the canned ones just seem to be the ticket...)  I then hand grate (and this is important too...) the potatoes...add seasonings (garlic salt, onion powder and lots of pepper)...
I add lots of cheese (this can be to your taste...we like a lot)
and then just enough sour cream to moisten the potatoes and cheese...(in the case of 10 cans of potatoes, it is usually about 1 1/2 cartons...)
put into a big baking pan and add more cheese to the top...

yum yum so delicious...you must try this...it is time consuming and little pricey when you facotr in that each can of potatoes costs about 1.00 each...so worth the effort...