Sausage Pepper Potato and Sausage casserole

Delicious Sausage Casserole 

pkg - Smoked Sausage

5-6 potatoes

1 - large onion

2-peppers, choice of color

1 - 8 oz package of shredded cheese

1 tsp of minced garlic

2 TBL Oil

Cavender's Seasoning (optional)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish. Peel and dice enough potatoes to line the bottom of your dish. Top with 1 tsp of minced garlic.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper (we also add Cavender’s seasoning). Dice half an onion, remove core and membrane from peppers and dice. Slice the smoked sausage

Layer starting with potatoes the entire pan surface then follow with onions and peppers and then finally sausge.

Cook 35 to 40 minutes. Add cheese and cook 5 minutes. Enjoy!!!

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Get Ready First Day Comes Soon

It's that time of year again. Time for the first day of school. While some schools have all ready started and others will start soon the first day of school is sure to happen. School signifies that summer is mostly over and it is time to get an education but this is not always easy. Many children will feel a bit uneasy even as they prepare to head back to the classroom.

While each student may feel as if they are the only one not ready to go back to school it is important to remind them that they are not alone. Anxiety of students will be high and the teachers will try to make the best of this. You can help as well by talking to your young student about the fun they will have, old friends they will see again as well as time to make new ones. Perhaps doing something special on the first day of school will make both you and your child feel good about the first day of school. 

What is it that you do to make the first day of school special?? Need a bit of help here are some ideas:

• prepare a special breakfast for the first day of school. Sharing the morning meal together before leaving for school will leave time for last minute nerves to be curbed. This does not have to take up a lot of time 
• Write a little note and leave it where they will be able to find it. A simple "I Love You" will go a long way. 
• leaving a note in your childs lunch box or backpack will offer them the encouragement they need on that first day. 
• does your child take their lunch to school?? If so why not offer them a surprise of a healthy but tasty snack. 
• Make your child the star of the day Take pictures the first day of school and share them with friends and family

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Make Your Own Baby Food

In just a few weeks our family will have a new addition. Our youngest son and his wife are expecting a wee little baby. One thing that I know that we will do is to offer the baby the best. One way we do this is by making our own baby food. Have you ever thought about making your own baby food?? Start with this great recipe for steamed applesauce for baby 

• Steamed recipes can be made in food steamers, or if you do not have one try a metal colander resting over a pot of simmering water. This delicious applesauce recipe is made by steaming. No need to add sugar                                                                                                                                                                          
  

  

            

2 to 3 apples … seed, peel and cut into quarters                                                      1 stick of cinnamon                                                                                                   1 tsp.. lemon zest                                                                                                       Water for boiling. 

In a pot, add the ingredients and cook apples until they are completely cooked through. Once the apples are cooked, remove from heat. Let it cool down. Remove the cinnamon stick. Blend the apples with some of the water that they were cooked in. 

Once the apples are cooked, remove from heat and let it cool down Remove the cinnamon stick. Blend the apples with some of the water that they were cooked in until smooth. 

• Steamer: I like my Black & Decker food steamer, but you really don’t need a separate appliance. Inexpensive alternatives include a traditional expandable steamer or a metal colander resting in a pot with a couple inches of simmering water.
• Slow cooker: I love making dinner in my slow cooker, but it’s also great for making baby food because I can leave food cooking for a long time – and sometimes foods take a long time to get soft enough for baby (like apples, peas, and prunes).
• Food mill and/or Food processor and/or Blender: I actually have a large food mill, a 7-cup food processor, a 2-cup electric food mill, a 3-cup mini-chopper, a regular blender, and a hand blender. You definitely don’t need all of them to make baby food. I use my food mill for applesauce, corn, peas, green beans, and anything that might have a component that should be removed before being served to baby. I use my large food processor for big batches of squash, carrots, peaches, etc. And I use my electric food mill for things I want to serve fresh, like avocados and bananas. I never reach for my mini-chopper or blenders when I’m making baby food. I would recommend the large food mill over a food processor since foods that can go in the food processor can also go through a food mill. But if you already have a food processor, you may want to consider Kidco’s manual food mill. I’ve never used it myself but I’ve heard some good things about it.
• Ice cube trays: Any ice cube trays will do, and they don’t have to be specially made for baby food. Trays with covers are convenient if you want to leave the cubes in the tray, but I usually dump them into a labeled zip top freezer bag so I can use the tray for another batch. (I’ve reviewed Kidco and Fresh Baby trays here and trays from the Container Store here.)
• Masking tape and a permanent marker: I’ve included these items in the list to emphasize how important it is to label the food before you freeze it. Trust me, it can be surprisingly difficult to tell peaches and pears apart, not to mention carrots and butternut squash, peas and green beans, and so on. Don’t forget to write the date down too, since it’s best to use the food up within 30 days or so, and always within 3 months (per WholesomeBabyFood.com). I also keep a list on the freezer door of foods that are inside along with the date that I made them so I know what needs to be used up

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Left Handed Awareness Day

August 13th is the day of the year when Left Handers get their just do. Yes,, that is right those who are left hand dominant have their day of recognition August 13th. The day is meant to make others aware of how the world is unique and offers a bit of challenge when a left handed individual lives in a right handed world. Perhaps the unique difficulties allows those who prefer their left hand to draw against the challenge. Perhaps this short list of left handed individuals will allow a glimpse into the world:

• Barack Obama
•  Oprah Winfrey
•  Justin Bieber
• Lady Gaga 
• Bill Gates.

I am sure that all of these individuals have faced their own personal challenges simply because they are left handed. From scissors to notebooks school may well have been a challenge all on its own. Left handed awareness day allows everyone in the right handed world to realize the challenges are real. However, the struggles that those who prefer their left hand to work with have adapted and created special tools and utensils in order to learn to work well within the world. 

Only around 12% of the world is left handed. The number, however, is slowly growing and being left handed is becoming more socially accepted. In the past parents and educators would try to teach children that appeared left handed to write with their right hand. History demonstrates strong emotions with individuals who are left handed going as far as having a case in 1860 that believed left handed individuals were in a pact with the devil. 

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