Foodie Friday: Spinach Pesto

A couple weeks ago I made my very 1st spinach pesto...and I fell in love. Like, how on Earth did I go without such a delectable thing. Seriously, the stuff is devine. Actually, it's better than devine. It may be close to Heaven on Earth!! My next 34 years will absolutely positively include this yumalish necessity...at least once a month!!

I made another batch tonight, took out a bottle of some Door County Wine, put on some soft music, lit Nana's candle and enjoyed the pink roses I picked up today and put in the vase we filled with pink roses last year for Mother's Day. It makes me smile thinking of her and how much she loved pink roses.

Here's the recipe I used as a guideline for this yummo necessity. I say guideline because I never follow a recipe to a T... cuz I'm a rebel like that.

Spinach Pesto
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed well (I used fresh spinach)
1 cup fresh parsley
2/3 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
1/2 cup walnut pieces, broken (I omitted this)
4 flat anchovy fillets (again, I omitted this yuckoid ingredient)
2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste ( I used 4...we like garlic and we are frim believers in garlic)
2 TBSP basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground fennel seed ( I omitted this because we didn't have any on hand)
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup olive oil (the first time I made this I used the one cup and it seemed to be a bit much. In tonight's batch I cut it down to 3/4 cup and it was superbaliffic!!!

In a food processor, using steel blade, blend spinach, parsley, cheese, nuts, anchovies, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and fennel seed until smooth. With motor running add olive oil in a steady stream. Makes about 2 cups. Keeps for a week or so in the refrigerator and may be frozen.

Make this!! It's phenomenal on top of chicken. That's what we did the first time. This time I just made up some angel hair pasta and served it on that. This stuff is totally awesome on crackers too.

Foodie Friday: Pear Smoothie

This was just so darn good that I didn't even get a picture, but I had to share. After an awesome 8 mile bikeride I made myself what I believe to be the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.

1 pear cubed
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
honey (to taste)
splenda (to taste)

Blend it all in the blender for a couple minutes. You may want to add a little skim milk to thin the mixture if you plan on drinking it with a straw. Freezing this mixture is also pretty super fab. Last week I blended peaches, pears and bananas in yogurt & put it in the freezer.

Laundry detergent

This past week I was busy creating in the kitchen. Homemade root beer, ginger ale, homemade thin pizza crust, whipping up a batch of laundry detergent, and even bar soap was made!! My fab friends on Facebook messaged me pretty much daily for the recipes. Some even thought I was nuts and suggested I should go by a frozen pizza & a jug of soda....ummm thanks but no thanks. So, this post is all about getting our clothes clean. I found versions of this formula online at least a year, maybe 2yrs ago. I have tweaked it to make it work for our needs.

We use:

2 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda

2 cups Baking Soda

1 bar of Naptha soap, grated

mix everything in a bowl & store in an airtight container. It takes 2TBSP of powder per full load of laundry.

Perks we have found since using this:

It actually CLEANS!!! Ken gets grease and grime on his clothing pretty often. We are all known to slop food on our clothing. Anybody who doesn't has got to be well trained or have super human powers!! This powder gets it all out!! At least it has for us. Maybe water differences in areas will have different outcomes? I'm not sure I no longer search every nook and crannie on Ken's dirty clothes for hidden stains to pretreat. That makes me beyond happy!! This has also taken blood (from my dogs) out of their dog bed. We have used it on occasion to rub on clothing as a form of pretreating & it's fabulous! I'm telling ya, it works.

Ken has horrible allergies & since we started using this he is much better. Not perfect by any means. We still have the 5 dogs, and two cats to keep him on his toes. But his sensitive skin does not get rashy. We have tried many store bought brands & nothing has come close to this.

We both wear glasses and it never fails, we always get smudges or a doggy nose prints on them. It's not always easy to get a eyeglass cleaning cloth so we use our shirt. Guess what??? No smudges!!! The other filth would leave us with smeary glasses that looked as if we'd smeared petroleum jelly on them.

Another added bonus??? IT'S ooberously CHEAP!!! I'm not buffalo chippin folks!! It costs about $10 for all of these supplies. The boxes of powder will make 3 batches. The bars of soap cost $1 at most stores. So, for 5 months we spend a fraction of what we used to spend.

Experimenting

This post is brought to you from the weirdo with the mask, goggles and rubber gloves. I've been experimenting...in my kitchen with some heavy duty stuff. Here's a hint. And no, I am not eating lard, preparing for lard wrestling in the backyard or making Mrs Brady's meatloaf for the Brady Bunch!!

I'll be able to post all about it in approximately 3 days. =) Hope you are enjoying your weekend & doing something fun!!

Foodie Friday: Beef Roast in the crockpot

A handful of years ago our friend Joy made this roast and we enjoyed it so much that it is now the only way we make a roast in the crockpot. The drippings make THE most outstanding gravy...in this WORLD!!! Also, the leftovers, along with the gravy make a wonderful stew, beef barley soup, or veggie beef soup starter. Just thin the gravy a bit, add some seasonings & whalaaa...you are on your way to a scrumptious re purposed meal =) Re purposed as in another meal is created from the leftovers rather than just heating up the originals.

What you'll need:

1 dry packet ranch dressing

1 dry packet Italian dressing (I sometimes used the zesty version)

1 dry packet brown gravy

1 dry packet mushroom gravy

2-3 cups of water

up to a 4 pound roast (I have done a roast as small as 3lbs with this & as large as 5lbs & still have plenty of juice)

a big crockpot

an onion

carrots

potatoes (if you wish)

Combine the seasoning packets along with the water, mix well. Put your roast in the bottom of the crockpot, add chopped onion, carrots, and potatoes. Cover. Cook on the low setting for 6-8hrs

What you will have is the most delicious roast you will ever eat. Trust me =)

Foodie Friday: For our feathered friends

This is not a "human recipe", rather it is for our feathered friends. After all, they need to eat in the winter too. All too often people only feed the birds in the summer months. Winter is a hard season for our feathered friend up north so we feed in winter as well.

I gathered up some pine cones when we were in Massachusetts from Nana's & took them home thinking I would use them all for decorating & whatnot. Well, Ken's Nana really enjoyed feeding the birds so I opted to use the pine cones from her yard rather than our Upper MI ones.

What I do is take a couple cups of wild bird seed, a handful of dried fruit, and enough peanut butter to make it spreadable & smear it on the pine cone, attach a loop of yarn around the cone & hang it on our lilac tree in the front. Birds flock to these lil things & eat it up. Sometimes the squirrels get to the cones after the birds are finished & chew on the husks & the yarn can be used in the birds nests. A perfectly green recipe for our outdoor feathered friends.

Hope you are having a fantabulastic weekend & have a very happy Valentine's Day.

Foodie Friday: Twinkie Cake

Oh wow, this week whooshed right by without a single post. I didn't plan it that way I assure you. On Sunday night I decided at the last minute to go on the road with my hubby. We got home on Tuesday night. Wednesday I caught up on my domestic goddess duties around the house that I had missed the previous days. I'm pretty anal about staying on track with my cleaning schedule. I'll talk more about that in a different post. Anyways, I had hoped to write something witty yesterday while in between loads of laundry but the darn washer decided it would be a fine time to croak...and the hubby is on the road so I'm yet another day behind schedule. I honestly can't tell you where yesterday went & I'm not all too happy I basically got nothing done. So that brings us full circle to Friday & I cannot NOT post this recipe!! I made it a week ago & that very same day it was GONE!!! No joke!! It's that delicious =) I'm not a huge Twinkie fan but occasionally enjoy chowing down on one. But this cake...yeah, pretty much kicks all sorts of bootie!!

Twinkie Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding (I used the big box)

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this)

Filling:

1 cup water

5 TBSP flour

1c. sugar

1/2 cup oleo

1/2 cup Crisco

2 tsp vanilla

bit of almond extract

Mix all of the cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a 9 X 13 inch pan lined with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and turn out onto tray. Split into two layers. Put top half back into pan.

Filling: Cook 1 cup sugar and 5 TBSP flour on stove top until thick, stirring constantly. Cool and add the sugar, oleo, Crisco and extracts. Beat until thick and light like whipped cream. Fill cake. Put other layer on top. Chill cake (if you have the patience...we DIDN'T! and it was still delish) Keep in refrigerator (if you actually have any left...we didn't) May be frozen.

One more thing...I also made this with a strawberry cake mix & holy bean bags Batman!! Scrumdiddleeeumtious indeed!! Today I am going to have a good ole date with my kitchen & try this with a lemon cake. =)

Foodie Friday: Homemade Veggie Soup Kathy style

Happy Friday folks!! So this is week two of Foodie Friday. I tried several recipes this week and most were sweets so I figured I better show you I DO actually eat healthy-ish meals. This soup really has no recipe but this is what works for us. We prefer a tomato type sauce rather than a brothy one. It made a honkan kettle full...so big that we still have some & even put some in the freezer for later meals. Perhaps I should call it never gonna get to the bottom soup!!

4 cans veggie broth (or make your own stock)

1 jar home canned stewed tomatoes (or you can use a store bought one if you wish)

1 jar homemade tomato sauce (or 2 small cans of the store bought stuff)

a bag of broccoli

half bag of cauliflower

bag of green beans from the garden (or store bought)

2 cups of corn (that you were smart enough to cut off and freeze that you bought at the Farmers Market this past summer

1 big honkan onion chopped

a good couple handfuls of carrots cut up

salt & pepper

garlic powder or if you're like me you'll mince some fresh stuff up. A dish without garlic is pretty much a sin in our house.

Put all of these ingredients & any other veggies you need to use up into your large sized crockpot. Let it cook on low for a handful of hours. Once the veggies are cooked add a couple cups of barley & let that cook until it's done. Serve with homemade dinner rolls & that my friends makes one delish meal!!

Until next week...Happy eating

Foodie Friday: Rhubarb Dream Bars

We like to try new recipes & often times I share them. I got word from several people on my facebook and other friends that I should start some sort of recipe sharing group. I gave it some thought & really don't know how it would work as far as allowing others to post their recipes in a fashion that all the members would be able to see them. So, for now I'm gonna do what I'll call "Foody Friday" each Friday on this here blog & see how it goes. Who knows, maybe it'll lead to Sunday's Supper, Meatless Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, What we're making Wednesday, and of course Thirsty Thursday. Without further adieu I give you my very 1st Foody Friday recipe:

Rhubarb Dream Bars

1 cup flour

5Tbsp powdered sugar

1/2 cup oleo

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups rhubarb, cut small

Blend flour, powdered sugar, and oleo. Press into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Don't let cool.

Beat eggs, sugar and flour and salt. Stir in rhubarb. Spoon over crust. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

This recipe is taken from the "Favorite Recipes of Immanuel Luthern Church, 1988" book. The recipe was submitted by Marlene Ehle. I have no clue who she is or was but thank her from the bottom of my heart/belly.

We had ours while it was still hot over Homemade Vanilla Custard that my dear hubby made. Hence it's messiness & lack of looking anything like a bar. This was delicious!! Thank goodness I had enough smarts to harvest our rhubarb and put some in the freezer. I'm interested as to what you've all got cooking in your homes. Whether it be snacks, breakfast, lunch or dinner. We all need to eat so we might as well share some recipes & make some foody friends along the way.

Most Dangerous Cake Recipe In The World

This recipe is also taken from the recipe book my brother & his fiance got us for Christmas. I'm tellin ya...the people in Oshkosh, WI know how to cook!! I'm beginning to think we need to move there & I need to become friends with these fabulous chefs. ;)

"Most Dangerous Cake Recipe In The World"

4Tbsp. flour

4Tbsp. sugar

2Tbsp. cocoa

1 egg

3 Tbsp. milk

3 Tbsp. oil

3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Small splash of vanilla

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk & oil and mix well. Add the chips & vanilla and mix again.

Put mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate. Garnish with ice cream and caramel or hot fudge sauce if you dare!! LOL

I complimented ours with custard that my dear hubby made and I melted some of the homemade carmels I made and drizzled it all over tha place. =) Totally delish!!

Chicken Puffs

This recipe is taken from the Winnebago County Cooks for the United Way cookbook we got for Christmas from my lil bro & his fiance.

2c cooked chicken, cubed
1/4c butter, melted
1-4oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 small onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 tube crescent roll dough

Mix cooked chicken, butter, cream cheese, onion and salt & pepper in bowl.

Flatten crescent rolls to form 4 rectangles and pinch seams. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture in the middle of each rectangle and fold edges around and pinch to seal.


Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour

Some of my notes: (because it's pretty impossible for me to follow a recipe to a T)


1. I used 2 chicken breasts which cam out to about 2.5 cups of meat

2. I sprinkled garlic powder in mixture...can't have a meal without garlic in this house!!

3. Thinking of frying the onions beforehand. But the raw onions were super delish as well.

4. I seasoned the chicken with S&P while cooking and I also used a full block of cream cheese instead of the 4oz


5. My puffs were cooked in 15 minutes...wonder if my oven is off or the recipe is??? So keep your eyes peeled is what I'd suggest.

This meal kicked all sorts of fancy butt. Definitely going to do this again!! I imagine this would be super delish with chopped turkey as well. Or maybe even add a lil cut up broccoli to the mixture...


The possibilities are endless!!

Blueberry Cream Pie

So, it's been like a year since I made one of these scrumdiddleeeumptious pies. I figured tonight was the perfect day to bring it back!! I give you....Blueberry Cream Pie!!!!! If you make this pie I bet you will not be able to eat just one piece!! It's fantastic warm or cold. So gather your ingredients and march to your kitchen!!! Your loved ones will thank ya =) P.s. I've also made this with peaches...which =DELISH!!!!

It's taken from the Taste Of Home's Contest Winning Annual Recipe book from 2007.

Blueberries 'n' Cream Pie

1/2 cup plus 1tbsp fat free milk, divided

3tbsb butter, melted

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 package (.8ozs) sugar-free cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix

1tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

1 package (8ozs) reduced-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

TOPPING:

2tsps sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamin

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup milk, butter & egg. Combine the fluor, pudding mix, baking powder and salt: stir into egg mixtue just until moistened. Pour into a 9 inch pie plate coated with non sitick cooking spray. Arrange blueberries over batter to within 1/2 inch of edge of plate

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and remaining milk until smooth. Spread over blueberries to within 1 inch of berry edge. For topping, combine sugar & cinnamin: sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers (if you have any LOL) Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional facts: 1 piece equals 249 calories, 12 grams fat (7g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 302 mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 6g protein.Diabetic Exchanges: 2 fat, 1-1 1/2 starch, 1/2 fruit

Christmas tree lights shimmering, fresh out of the oven cookie & a glass of milk....that was my night last night. I totally tried a new recipe that I found at a fellow bloggers page & knew I had to try it out. With only 4 ingredients needed how could I not try it out? You can find the recipe here: http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2009/11/ridged-ribbon-dishcloth-and-biscuit.html and below :

1 pound butter
1 can condensed milk (390-400 gram)
1 cup sugar
5 cups wholemeal self raising flour (or plain flour and baking powder)
toppings like choc chips, smarties, jam, cinnamon and sugar

cream butter and sugar, add condensed milk. stir in flour. roll into balls and flatten. top with choc chips etc, or thumbprint and add jam for jam drops.bake at 350 degrees for approx 10 min until golden brown. cool on racks

It makes 6-7 dozen delicious cookies...or about 5 dozen if you like em big =) The possibilities with this very simple recipe excites me. I foresee chocolate chips, walnuts, toffee chips & who knows what else I will put into this recipe.

Turkey Pot Pie...it's a keeper

We made a big ole turkey this week & had enough leftovers for a double batch of turkey noodles soup, turkey sandwich spread & this...Behold....Turkey Pot Pie!!!!

Now this is the 1st time I ever made it so I went to Recipe.com & found this delish recipe:

1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups water
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

The hubby liked it, I liked it & it was filling & I am certain way healthier than the prepackaged frozen stuff in the store. We still have a gallon sized bag of leftovers that will be made into something. Perhaps turkey fajitas? Nothing beats trying a new recipe, having the food turn out delish & hearing the hubby say...it's a keeper. =) What kinds of comfort foods are you making this Autumn?

Rhubarb Crisp

I was in a funk on the 28th. It had rained buckets & our roof leaked into the kitchen which in turn sent 2 beloved items to electronic heaven...my cell phone & our new camera....=( So I was not a happy camper so to speak. What to do in times like that??? Go to the garden & harvest rhubarb & make this. Before you know it you'll be in happy land enjoying this scrumptious treat...believe me, I know these things & you really outta make this if you have some rhubarb on your hands.

Rhubarb Crisp


1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon

4 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 cup water
1tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8 pan

Mix light brown sugar, flour, oats, melted butter & cinnamon in a bowl. Press half of crust mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Pour rhubarb on top of crust

In a saucepan combine granulated sugar, corn starch, water & vanilla. Cook over medium heat until liquid is clear. Pour hot clear liquid over rhubarb. Top with remaining crust mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes

Note: My cell phone has since come back to life but the camera is still not up to par....oh and don't forget to top this desert with ice cream....your tummy will thank you oodles!!!!

Homemade frozen pudding pops

Who doesn't love frozen treats on a warm sunny day? Actually who doesn't like frozen treat ANY day? When I ran across a recipe for these homemade pudding pops I knew I had to give it a whirl & it turned out yummalicious!!

Ok, the 1st couple pics are of the process of making the pops...and proof that it's not a boxed pudding mix. Now I would have never even thought pudding could be made any other way & am still quite fond of my boxed pudding.


Mixing the dry ingredients

scalding the milk & mixing the wet with the dry

and waaaalaaaaa! We've got tasty pudding pops ready to put in the freezer to enjoy just as soon as the freezer freezes them....and I can honestly tell you, it couldn't happen soon enough. To get the lil buggers out just dip the mold in hot water & they pop right out. Enjoy...and try not to eat too many...if you can. Here's the recipe:

Homemade pudding pops

¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
½ tsp salt
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 eggs, separated
½ cup cold milk
3 ½ cup milk, scalded
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp butter

Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder. Stir in beaten egg yolks & the cold milk.

Beat chocolate mixture into the hot scalded milk. Heat until mixture thickens on medium heat.
Add vanilla & butter. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Pour mixture into molds or even paper cups with a popsicle stick inserted. Freeze and enjoy.

The pudding also tastes yummalicious warm. I know this kind of stuff…cuz I tried it & you should too!!! =)

Note: for vanilla pudding omit the cocoa powder.

A recipe, snow & other stuff

Ok, so we're gonna get some verbal whiplash in this post. Ken tells me I do verbal whiplash all the time when I jump from one topic to the next & leave nothing in between. It's a pretty common thing with me...I can't help it that I have so much to say & oodles of ideas bouncin off in my head!! So yeah, this is totally gonna be a post including all sorts of stuff!!! =) Hence why my blog is called A Look Into a Scatterbrain!!

Ok, so firstly, I've been going on the road with my hubbykins a lot lately. It's been insanely awesome! Ok, well it was fartan cold last week but the truck was nice & toasty & the roads were clear. What stunk was letting the 5 pups out to do their "business" in the 20- weather!! Nope, that part was NOT fun at all!! BUT...I did start another book and have it almost finished. Actually when we went to the store to get supplies I wanted to check to see if they had "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. We didn't have much time & I wasn't finding it!! =( That's when a super fab book popped in my face & I knew I HAD to have it!!! It had balls of yarn on the cover!!! And we all know my love, ok, obsession with yarn!! So I buy it, get in the semi & being the robo nerd I am I am reading the front cover & back cover & that's when I read it....The Sequel to the Beloved #1 New York Times Bestseller "The Friday Night Knitting Club"!!!! Shitakee mushrooms!! I bought part 2!!! Grrrrr. Anyfartles, I just couldn't let it sit in the semi & collect dust so I started reading my new book. Oh, and it's called "Knit Two" by Kate Jacobs. It's about a group of women of various ages, in various stages of their lives who are all connected in that they belong to the same knitting group. I don't wanna give too much away but trust me, it's a super fab book & I am totally gonna buy the 1st book!!! Leave it to me to do things backwards!!!

Work has been so slow lately so we have to take a load when one comes up. We got word early last week that my Aunt Pat passed away. The funeral arrangements would be on Saturday...which totally works as we're home on the weekends...usually. Well wouldn't ya know it, Ken got a call to go on a load. And like I said, we gotta take what we can get. So we whooshed down to IL & back up, hit some oober yucky weather & made it to Aunt Pat's funeral a tad bit late...but we made it & for that I am glad.

We didn't make it to Ken's works Award Banquet that night. We were both pooperd out to the max. 3000 miles in a handful of days has a tendency of wearing ya out. But my lil brother JJ spent the night. =)

So, today seeing Ken doesn't have a load we decided we'd make a nice din din. I am totally diggin http://www.5dollardinners.com/ It's a way super fab blog with some really awesome recipes!! Tonight we tried the Rosemary Orange Chicken & we had it with steamed brochlii...super delish!! When I asked ken what he thought of it he said "it tastes healthy" but he continued to eat everything off his plate. Now if you know Ken at all if he doesn't like it, he doesn't eat it. So he actually liked it & said I could try it again. You can find the recipe here :http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/01/rosemary-orange-chicken.html With mine though I baked it (we didn't have ample time to do the crock pot method) and I poured a lil bit of orange juice in the bottom.

It's been snowing here for days on end. Just enough every day to have to shovel or snowblow. I don't mind though & actually LUV winter!! Just not the cold. The picture below is the front sidewalk. We're running out of room to put the white stuff!!!

This is what I call mount Woodbury!! It takes up half of our driveway & half of our neighbors.

And here's the front of the house. I guess the pictures don't do the height of the snow justice. Just believe me...it's at least up to my chest!!!

So, I think that pretty much covers it. I'm working on knitting, still reading my eyeballs out, preparing paperwork for taxes & oh wait!! I do have more!! Totally rented a movie from Redbox today!! And with the code got it for FREE!!!!! How stinkan neato is that!! Another exciting thing, then I'll shut up....Fancast.com!!! Super fab website, totally watch movies & tv programs FREE!!! They even have The Smurfs & Gilligans Island!!! What more could I need!!! We got rid of our satellite but still like to watch programs now & then & this totally let's us do that! PLUS it'll be super fab to utilize when we're on the road & have some down time & want to watch some boob tube-age!!!

Ok, treadmill time!! Peace =)

A Fantastic Recipe!!!

A GREAT RECIPE...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God aboutwhat is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'Mypurpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food thatis manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskansalmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issuesof the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Insteadinvest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like acollege kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument.Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what theirjourney is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years,will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friendswill. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: Iam thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings.You'll be smiling before you know it.



I got this "Recipe" in am email & just had to share it!!! I know some of these are no brainers but in this hustle bustle time of the year I thought it would be fitting to post as a reminder to slow down....and appreciate life!!!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away!!!!!

Carmel Apple Cake

I've got an absolutey scrumdiddleeeumptious recipe to share today!! It's from Recipezarr.com I first made it a couple weeks ago for Mrs Rinne's birthday & just the other night whipped up another one for our own consumption. It's soooo insanely simple & doesn't take too many ingredients & is also beyond yummage!! A perfect Fall desert. I am soo sorry my plate does not match! This issue really bugs me!!


Carmel Apple Cake
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 medium apples, peeled and sliced (2 cups)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup boiling water


1. Prehate oven to 350 F degrees.

2. Mix Bisquick and granulated sugar, add milk and stir until blended.

3. Pour into an ungreased 9X9X2' pan, top with apples, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix brown sugar & cinnamon, sprinkle over apples.

4. Next, pour bioling water over apples.

5. Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


ENJOY with a scoop of icecream =)

Blueberry Lattice Bars

Yesterday I made these yummy Blueberry lattice bars again. I finally got around to taking a photo...but not before I cut it into bars. Woopsie, my bad. Anyways, this recipe comes from Taste Of Home's book "Winning Annual Recipes 2007" This book is by far my most favoritist!!

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

FILLING:

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup sugar

3 TBSP cornstarch

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the egg, flour, vanilla and salt; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the blueberries, sugar and cornstarch to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
3. Roll two-third of the dough into a 14-in. X 10-in. rectangle. (I just press mine into the pan...I rather suck at the whole placing it into the pan part...) Place into a greased 13-in X 9-in. X 2-in. baking dish. Top with filling. Roll out remaining dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into 1/2-in.-wide strips; make a lattice crust over filling. (As you can see I am not too swell of a lattice layer either...)
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until tip is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 2 dozen (not that many if you are oinkers like ourselves)