Good Dog Treats

Wanna Treat?

Go ahead, you can have one.

Made from 4 ingredients 

Water 1 1/4 cup

Flour 2 cups

Oatmeal 1 cup

Peanut Butter 1/3 cup

Our doggies LOVE them, even the girls had a few;)

Found on Pinterest

Happy Stamp Day.  God Bless.

Fake Feebreeze

My SIL loves the smell of Gain and wishes her entire house cold smell like it.  

Well guess what kiddo here you go...

Fake Febreeze

Reclaim your income and the landfills!!!!

1/8 C of your favorite scented fabric softener

1 TSP Baking soda

Reclaimed Febreeze Bottle

Warm tap water to fill up the rest of the room in the bottle.

I used some chalkboard paint on my old Hawaiian scented Febreeze bottle and  some chalk.  

I also placed my Baking soda in a glass jar, reclaiming both the glass and the pour spout lid from an old salt container.  So much easier that that dang box and it will stay dry and not soak up odors.

***I have found this very slippery on vinyl flooring so be careful where you are spraying***

Both of these ideas were found on Pinterest

Happy Stamp Day.  God Bless.

My Life is Pinteresting Part 2

Oh, how I love thee Frigidaire Affinity!!!!  

The Gear Box went out on our old set and Jesse said he was not going to fix it this time.  So Veterans Day we went shopping (NOT RECOMMENDED) every store was busy.   Anyhow, we did find something I liked...

High Efficiency, large capacity, with steam washer and dryer set.

You can see my handmade Downy Dryer sheets soaking and waiting atop the dryer...LOVE THEM!

One problem with the new HE washers, you can not use regular laundry detergent.  All the bubbles created will clog up the small capacity pump and do damage to your washer over time.  So...what to do????  Not going to use the HE detergent way to expensive to be using on a family of five, it would totally break our budget for cleaning supplies alone.  So with some research and the help of PINTEREST I found this...

Greener Living Blog

We found everything side by side on the shelf at Walmart. 

I had the numbers crunched and the cost per load is 2 cents.  That is right 2 cents, one penny for the pre-wash cycle and one penny for the wash.

Two hard parts for me in the creating of the soap

The bar soap was hard for me to grate, you need to use the super smallest size you have making it look like shredded cheese.  Any larger pieces are hard to melt during the process.  

I am not sure if it was hard just because I was not feeling a 100% or if the soap is just that compact.

It also takes along time to cook down to a honey consistency, stir and watch carefully.

We all love it, works wonders on the laundry and does not bust the budget.

Give one or both of these a try and let me know what you think.

Now I just need Jesse to get that outdoor laundry line up for me!

So that is my two cents;)

Happy Stamp Day,  God Bless!

What is for Dinner? Part 2

Okay, yesterday I shared the breakfast and lunch menu for September.  Today I actually have the Dinner menu for you.  LOL!  Keeping it easy the kiddos and DH will be in charge for the month.

Countdown 1 day until my knee reconstruction.

Then I wake up this AM to the sound of a dying fridge, UGH.

 Has to be a side by side I won't have anything else!

Place that on the top of the shopping list and 

snip out a few quick picks for DH just so he understands what I want;)

Here we go...

Pork Chop Casserole

6 pork chops, browned in butter

Wash and cut up 10 new potatoes

1 med onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can milk

salt and pepper to taste

combine in this order into a greased baking dish...

potatoes, onion, browned pork chops

cover with cream soup and milk

salt and pepper

bake at 350 for 1 hour

Jewish Meatballs

Taco Salad Bowls

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

With steak 

Brown Steak and Gravy

(My Mamma's recipe we had it on Christmas Eve)

3 good size round steaks cut in half

Brown in butter and cook in pressure cooker until falls apart with fork

Make gravy from the pan drippings and liquid in the pressure cooker

Corn starch mixed with COLD water so you don't get lumpy gravy

Salt and pepper to taste

serve with mashed potatoes.

Grilled Chicken Breasts

with veggies

Caribbean Jerk Shrimp with rice

Chili

Chef Salad

Spaghetti Shells Bake

Alfredo Gnocchi

with or without chicken

You can find gnocchi by the noodles (good in a pinch) but nowhere near the taste of handmade ones. 

Tator Tot Hot Dish

I use cream of Mushroom soup, green beans and corn no cheese in mine.

Scallop Potatoes with Ham

Reuben Roll ups

1 pkg crescent dough

1T thousand Island Dressing

1C sauerkraut

8 thin slices of Corned Beef

2 Slices of Swiss cheese

Combine sauerkraut and salad dressing

Unroll the crescent dough in to eight triangles

fill with one slice of beef, 2T of sauerkraut mix and two cheese strips

roll up and bake 10 to 15 minutes at 375

Oven Swiss Steak

1 lb. beef

2T flour

1/2 t salt

2T Butter

1/4 t Worcestershire sauce

8 oz tomatoes

1/4 C celery

1/4 C chopped carrots

1 small onion

Shredded Sharp Cheese

Pound salt and flour into the meat, Brown meat in pan with butter. 

Place in bottom of greased casserole

Blend remaining flour (1/2/T) in pan drippings add all but the cheese to the skillet cook and stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil.

Pour over meat cover and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 350.

Homemade Pizza

Marge's Chicken Hot Dish

1 can chow mein noodles

1 can chow mein vegetables

2 C chicken

1 can each cream of mushroom, cream of chicken

1 soup can milk

Potato chips

Mix, pour into buttered dish, cover with chips and bake 350 for one hour.

Stouffer's Lasagna

Many of these dishes lend well to leftovers.  Some nights we designate as leftover night to use up the leftovers.

Have one you really enjoy, let me know;)

I love using this Monthly planner 

Free Download by Corrina Gardner

Happy Cookin'.  God Bless!

What is For Dinner? Part 1

I have been lax at menu planning over the summer.  

The fridge never closes and when you go to the cupboard to get what you need the items are NEVER left.  

Anyhow for September a Menu was the best plan of attack

This way everyone knows and can execute it 

Here are a few of the items on our Menu for September

Breakfast

Blueberry French Toast

(photo above uses hash browns and extra fat we do not do ours this way)

Ham and Cheese Egg Bake

We use buttered white bread for the base

Cubed ham, peppers, mushrooms, onion and cheese

1 dozen eggs mixed with milk

place in fridge over night, bake next AM 350 for one hour

Scrambled Egg Nests

Breakfast Wraps

Scrambled Eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, salsa, tortillas

Oatmeal, Special K

Orange Juice, Skim Milk, Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate

Well, the above will take care of breakfast and some Sunday Suppers.  

Yes, we do like to eat breakfast foods for Dinner on Sunday Night;)

  

Veggie Bars

California Rotel Soup Weight Watchers

(I make ours a bit different below is what I use)

2 cans chicken broth

1 bag frozen California style veggies

1 can mild Rotel Soup

1 can crushed Tomatoes

**I do not use cheese in mine**

This is one of my favorites I eat it for lunch often so it is a pantry staple;)

Chris' Cheese Soup

My blog post link

I will ask her if it okay to repost, if you want the recipe email me

paschal.sara@gmail.com

Cottage Cheese, Pineapple, grapes, strawberries, Tomato Soup, Peanut Butter, whole grain breads,

 fresh spinach, canned chicken breasts, pre cooked frozen chicken (DH cooks this on the grill for me)

light mayo, Dorothy Lynch Light dressing

I will be back with part 2 on Wednesday...

Happy Stampin'.  God Bless.

Surfing Saturday Inspiration

 What a phenomenal week this has been.  So much good stuff going on such as...Jessica Tubing by herself...Donna Driving alone to Sioux Falls...Liz helping out in the kitchen trying a new Oreo recipe and Paper Crafts arrived in the mail.  Why so excited about this issue you ask?  I have a "Big" Cricut project published and a card creation.  

So when it hits newsstands on the 16th make sure you pick up an issue K;)

Here are some Saturday Surfing photos to

 inspire your creativity for the weekend.

1.  Crochet Booties from the Shoe Goddess $425.00 at Saks

This sexy girl is not your Grandmothers Doily;)

2.  Erin Lincoln gifted this PTI card.  You can read about it here on the Procrastination Station

I have plans to get a few of these made this weekend so I can execute my birthday calendar again.

3.  Oreo Cookie Truffles from Kitchen Funk 

These are simple, quick and fun to make with the kiddos!

4.  I <3 Lime Green and totally have to have the smocked dress

I injured my right toe this past week and the Dr. said, "any woman that would paint her nails green would want her nail to grow back."  Yup, I want my nail back!

So go get some OPI Gargantuan Lime in support;)

Inspired yet?  If you are looking for more visit my

Boards

Happy Stamp Day.  God Bless!

Nom, Nom, Nom

This is so yummy I had to share...

Pound your Round Steak as flat as you can get it.

This is such fun!!!! 

Layer Swiss Cheese, red & green bell peppers and onion.

Roll up the Steak, wrap with bacon and brown slowly in a fry pan.

This is the BEST Bouillon on the market!  

2 tsp to 8 oz water

into the sauce pot.

Place your Rolled and wrapped pieces into the sauce pan cook on med to low for 20 min.

And then we are back to Nom, Nom, Nom!

Serve over a bed of brown rice.

Round Steak 2 pounded flat

(some of your meat counters will tenderize for you if you ask)

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Red Bell Pepper

1/2  Onion

4 Slices of aged Swiss Cheese

8 slices bacon

toothpicks

pepper

1 TBL butter

2 tsp Bullion

8 oz water

Enjoy.  God Bless!

Today is Sugar Cookie Day

We love to bake sugar cookies around here. 

Cookies in general are gobbled up faster than Cookie Monster on a sugar high.  

I do have go to recipes for sugar cookies and this is one of them.  

The main change here is using Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk. 

Oh, so very YUMMY!

EagleBrand.com

Eagle Brand Cut out Cookies

3 1/2 C flour

2t baking powder 

1/4 t salt

1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

3/4 C butter

2 eggs

1T flavoring (either almond, vanilla or lemon)

Combine flour baking powder and salt. Beat milk, butter, eggs and flavoring in bowl for one minute.  Add flour mixture and combine.  Divide into thirds and chill for two hours.

Pre heat oven to 350.  Roll out dough onto lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes. Bake 9 to 11 minutes

I have sound something interesting I want to try EDIBLE Images over on Etsy.

Vintage Cherry Edible Images

Has anyone played around with these before?

Powder Sugar Glaze

2 C sifted powdered sugar

1/2 t flavoring (to match the cookie flavor you made)

2 T Milk

Tint with food coloring

Mix to a glaze consistency.  Apply to cooled cookies and let dry.

Here is  a link back to another sugar cookie I have shown in the past.

Have a cookie!

May your Sugar Cookie Day Be sprinkled with Love and Laughter;)

God Bless.

Mulberry Jam Blue Ribbon Recipe

 One batch of Rhubarb Mulberry Jam has been made.  Below is my favorite way to enjoy it. 

Dark rye bread, cream cheese and Jam.  YUMMY!

Little J loves it when Mom makes fun shapes with the bread.  Oh, the wonderful little things!

Rhubarb Mulberry Jam

Wash and chop 5 C Rhubarb

Place into non stick pot

Add 4 C of Sugar

Let the Rhubarb sweat under the sugar as you prepare the Mulberries.

Prepare 3 C of crushed Mulberries.

I wash and freeze my berries.  When I am ready to use them I quick thaw in the microwave.

This makes it so much easier to remove the stems and crush the fruit at the same time.

I also like to put them on top of the sugar that way if I miss a stem it becomes visible and can be removed.

Bring to a hard boil and boil for 10 minutes.

Add 1 package of Cranberry Jello 

continue to cook for 10 minutes.

Pack into prepared Jars.

Hot water boil for 15 minutes.

Let cool and store.

I have won a blue ribbon with this recipe at our county fair and it is some YUMMY stuff!  The hardest part is preparing the Mulberries and making sure the stems are removed.  

There is nothing worse than getting a woody stem with a bite.

Here is another fun little snack for the summer.

Dark Rye bread again with cream cheese.  

This time cuts of fresh cucumber and tomato topped with fresh Dill.  So good!

Have a Happy Stamp Day!  God Bless.

Brownie Pops

These are so very popular right now and YUMMY to boot;)
So what are they?
Brownie/Cake POPS!


Some favorites...
Click on the photos for the links,
want more check out my Pins in Play with your food.

If you love these as much as I do here are some fun tools from Wilton.  I have seen products at Hobby Lobby so use those coupons!

Brownie Pop Mold by Wilton

Wilton Push and Pop heart shape cutter

Don't want brownie pops make them into truffles...


Switch it up more and you have these yummies from
makeitfromscratch.blogspot.com

Want an ice cream bar?  No, they are brownies on a stick;)

Recipe that follows is the one I used from About.com

1 pan (13x9) brownies, baked and cooled
1/2 cup chocolate frosting (I used creamy peanut butter)
1 lb chocolate-flavored candy coating
40-50 lollipop sticks
Decorative toppings (sprinkles, nuts, coconut, etc)

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or waxed paper.

2. Place the brownies in a large bowl, and crumble them roughly with your hands. Add the chocolate frosting, and begin to mix it with your hands into the brownies, working until the brownies are crumbs and the mixture is evenly moistened. You want the brownie mixture to easily hold together when you press it into a ball, but still retain a little texture. My personal preference is to have some “crumb” left to the brownie, so that it is not just a gooey frosting ball. Of course, tastes vary, so add more frosting if you want a fudgier pop.

3. Using a cookie scoop or teaspoon, form the mixture into small balls and roll them between your hands to get them round. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

4. After the pops have been frozen, remove them from the freezer. Melt the chocolate candy coating in the microwave and stir until completely smooth.

5. Use a skewer to poke a hole in the bottom of each brownie ball. Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted coating, then stick this end into the hole made by the skewer, to help hold the stick in place.

6. To prevent cracks from forming in the chocolate coating, you want to dip the brownie pops when they have lost some of their coldness from the freezer, but do not allow them to get so warm that they fall off the lollipop stick when being dipped. I’ve found that a moderately cool temperature is best. Dip the pops one at a time in the coating, holding the dipped pop over the bowl and allowing excess coating to drip back in the bowl.

7. While the coating is still tacky but no longer dripping, sprinkle the desired toppings (nuts, coconut, sprinkles, etc) on the brownie pop before setting it on a baking sheet to finish setting. Alternately, you can stick the pops upright in Styrofoam to allow them to finish drying.

8. Brownie Pops can be served immediately, or they will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. The chocolate coating will get softer as time progresses. Allow to come to room temperature for best taste and texture when serving.

These are so fun happy Brownie POPPN'

  God Bless.

Have a Cookie

Last week I posted a FB status where I had found a doily imprint cookie.  Oh they looked so YUMMY and fun.  I had to give it a try right away.  The dough has to be very chilled or you will not have a reasonable result.  I also did not like how large the cookies were even my smallest doily so I made the print and then took a cookie cutter to the dough.  The strawberries were made with the same dough...

 I so can't get enough of these snack sets.  I have been keeping my eyes open for a milk glass painted version.  So far no luck locally:(  

Here is the link for the Doily Cookie Tute

Here is a close up of the imprinted cooked I played with the contrast so the print was more visible...

"Going to drive up to Dad and Jan's Cabin for the weekend. I am so ready for toes in the water and ass in the sand not a worry in the world a cold (Mt. Dew) in my hand

 not a worry in the world life is good today!!"

Zac Brown Band Toes

Have a happy stamp day.  God Bless.

JERK

The featured Video this week is totally hilarious to watch and the scent gel is so very easy to make.  Today I have Elizabeth's "JERK" to show you.  (When you watch the video you will find she names her creations.)   Grilled pineapple with Jamaican Jerk seasoning (photo and recipe after crafty post) was on the menu and her jar was ocean scented.  LOL!! 

Meet Jerk...

For supper we grilled up some fresh pineapple seasoned with Jamaican Jerk from Tone's.  This is some YUMMY stuff;)  we put it on a bed of greens with left over chicken...

You can find recipes all over the place but they are long in ingredients and some of them are difficult to find locally.  This from Tone's is the best in my opinion...

http://www.spiceplace.com/tones_jamaican_jerk_seasoning.php

You can make Jerk...

 Burgers

Shrimp

 Fruit

and my ultimate Jerk meal...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Joels-Jerk-Chicken-Pineapple-Pasta/Detail.aspx recipe is below also...

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits with juice
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon jerk seasoning mix
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 ounces dry fettuccine noodles

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the pineapple and its juice, coconut, brown sugar, jerk seasoning, cinnamon, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain. Toss chicken mixture with drained pasta.

Happy Stamp Day.  God Bless.