turkey tetrazzini without the turkey...

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/11/turkey-tetrazzini/

this is what is for dinner tonight and I am excited about it...cannot wait to try it...
I have this recipe bookmarked in my favorites for awhile now but only today decided to give it a try...looks very yummy not baked yet...
I kinda used the recipe, except substituting chicken for turkey, and I did not use mushrooms...
we are eating way too much antler food and I have gained weight this way and this new
year am determined to eat better, or at least cook more than I have been...
have to cashier for bingo tonight so made dinner at 2pm so it will be ready for everyone to eat when they are ready...
will post and let you know how it tastes...
OMGosh OMGosh was this dinner fantastic??? it was extraordinary, why have I never made this before? I mean seriously? this will be one of my staples from now on...you guys need to stop what you are doing and make this right now...too good...
Ross said it was just OK, but we don't listen to him anyway, so we??? haha

sweet potato cupcakes

this is what I made for the girl at Elks that won my cake of the month raffle...she loves these and asks me to make these quite often...Ross and I both love them also, altho Tim does not like them, not sure why cause he loves pineapple?
made 5x the recipe so I could give some of them out for my random acts of kindess this year that I am doing...
took 24 cupcakes to Tim's work for them to enjoy...last time I did, even the guy who only eats vegan came up to tim to rave about his mom's cupcakes...

dinner tonight?

wanted to surprise Tim as he had been on vacation for a week and went back today and I knew he would be a little bummed, so I made one of his favorite dishes of all times...it used to be that I was scared of soups and each time I wanted to make one, I would look for a recipe online and follow it to a T...not anymore (& it only took me 60+ years !)
Coco's makes a good corn chowder, and I also remembered that a friend of mine used to make a fabulous soup...so on my own, I tried to replicate both recipes into one, and everyone in my family (& friends who have tried it) all love it...
when I emailed Tim at work and said I was making corn chowder, he said, "that sounds
amazing."
here is my corn chowder...
melt 1 stick of margarine in a dutch oven (get it?)
stir in 6 tbs of flour and let slightly brown,
add 1 large container of chicken broth and stir till slightly thick then add 2 1/2 cups of milk and let thicken once again...
add 1 large pkg of corn
(I use) 1 can of carrots
(I use) 1 can of potatoes
garlic salt and pepper
I also will add onions to roux when Zoe is not eating...
and then at end I add cooked bacon...

the princess helped me today, she loves cutting up the potatoes...she loves this dish as much as her uncle does, only she eats around the carrots...we served little pieces of french bread with dinner tonight and she added lemon curd to her bread...don't even ask???

new year's 2012

for a huge surprise Sam made us all dinner for Sunday night (her dad is visiting grandma in El Segundo)...she made ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls...a very good dinner made all the better that I did not have to cook...yeah...

for Monday night, dad still is gone and i asked Tim what he wanted and he said "breakfast," so that is what I did...I made cinnamon rolls, sausage links, and a terrific potato & egg casserole that I got from here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/05/easy-potato-and-bacon-breakfast-casserole/...
I had made this before and this time substituted shredded potatoes for the southern style and I browned them a little first, and Tim and I liked the taste more...but he
wanted leftovers saved to eat more, so I take that as a compliment...

ross should be home tomorrow, maybe he will take me out to eat...haha...

menus and shopping list for January

a long time coming...antlers are still loudly calling my name, but we are counting down...3 months and counting till I have my life back...

1......chicken tetrzzini
2......spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
3......ham, mashed potatoes, green beans,
4......meat loaf, twice baked pots, veggies, cheese biscuits
5......meatball soup, artisan bread
6......baked mac & cheese w/ bacon, veggies, bread
7......scalloped potatoes w/ham, veggie
8......beef, bacon & barley soup, bread
9......southwest chicken & rice, cornbread
10....tangy bacon topped chicken, barley pilaf, veggie
11.....apple stuffed pork chops, mashed pots, veggie
12....easy cheesy chicken casserole, veggies
13....tortellini, sausage soup, breAD
14....hot tamale pie, cornbread
15. deep dish pizza, raw dip veggies, bread sticks
16....bacon, potato hash, soda bread
17....fettucini alfredo with bacon, garlic bread salad
18.. individual beef pot pies
19....braised short ribs with mashed pots, carrots
20...bow tie lasagna garlic bread, veggies
21....sausage, potato bake, bread
22....chicken with wild rice casserole, veggie
23....porcupines, parm noodles, corn, biscuits
24....beef stroganoff, buttered noodles, veggies
25....shepards pie
26....chicken enchilada soup artisan bread
27....taco casserole corn bread
28....chicken pie, cranberry sauce
29....breakfast strata, hash browns, fruit
30....bacon alfredo cass w/ peas, garlic bread
31....beef stew in bread bowl, corn on the cob salad

ok, I am excited to go back to cooking every night for the family, now onto the shopping list and cutting coupons...

summertime...

anyone that knows me, knows how much I HATE summer...I love the longer days and not having to get up at a certain time for the kid's school but the heat...OMGosh the HEAT, that is what gets to me...it just wears me out...I cannot function...
but, we need to eat and I am tired of burgers, and sandwiches and eating out...and we eat a lot at Elks, too...
still like to make a good dinner for Tim...
tonight?
slow roasted BBQ tri tip
hobo potatoes
fire roasted corn on the cob, shucked and fried

it was soooooooooooo good...miss cooking like I used to...please summer hurry up and go away...

the hobo potatoes comes from a recipe that I have had for ages and ages and now most likely does
not resemble the original one at all cause I have tweaked it so many times to please my family...

for tonight I used:

4 potatoes, cubed and then lightly fried
crumbled bacon
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 bunch of green onions
garlic salt
pepper

mix all ingredients and layer into 2 aluminum foil pouches with a pat or 2 of butter and throw onto (not literally) the BBQ and they need to cook for approx 45 min...

there ya go...they are so yummy...

volunteer lunch-& Ross ER birthday party...

wanted to do something special for Ross' birthday this year since he is the ER of the Lodge, but also wanted to pay homage to all of the volunteers that have helped us immensely already the first quarter of his reign...so, this big party is this coming Sunday afternoon...and knowing how activities such as this one usually go at the Lodge, I really did not expect too many people showing up...I was smart and asked for RSVP's just so I would know about how many people to expect...and.....................
drum roll, please.....so far....85 people have said that they would love to come...OK...really??? a much
bigger and better crowd than I could ever have imagined...but, that is all right...at first, I was going to make everything myself but, when more and more people said they were coming, I started asking for potluck dishes...& I don't know about you but I love potlucks...I love to see what people bring to these events...
here is the menu that I have chosen:
BBQ beef & BBQ pork sandwiches (made these for an event before & they went over well...)
cole slaw
baked beans
mac. salad
deviled eggs
various veggies & dip
various chips & dips (& I found some really good recipes I want to try out)
apple crisp

for children, I planned on:
also macaroni & cheese
hot dogs...

for the BBQ beef, I am using a recipe that has been handed down from Ross' grandmother and is always been a crowd pleaser and is rather simple...will post recipe after the event
for the BBQ pork found a recipe online, that I cannot wait to try...will also post this one after the event...
am currently looking for a good recipe for cole slaw...I personally like KFC and Famous Dave's so would like to find a recipe that mimics either one of theirs...
of course my macaroni salad, everyone loves and Sam is known for her deviled eggs...
so I think we are good...
will let you know how we do after Sunday...wish me luck...