Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken

3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 can Campbell's Condensed Chicken Broth
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 small green pepper OR red pepper, cut into 2" strips
4 cups hot cooked rice

MIX cornstarch and broth.
HEAT oil in skillet. Add chicken and stir-fry until browned.
ADD broth mixture, pineapple, sugar, vinegar and pepper. Heat to a boil. Cook
and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Cover .
COOK over low heat 5 min. or until done. Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

shared with the Shabby Nest

Party Casserole

Party Casserole

8 c. cooked diced turkey
4 cans cr. of chicken soup
2 c. lightly cream or milk
1 can (4 oz.) green chili peppers, seeded and chopped (opt.)
1 bag (about 8 oz.) corn chips, crushed
2 Bermuda onions, chopped
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz.)

Combine turkey, chicken soup, cream or milk and chili peppers in a lg. kettle; heat slowly, stirring often, just until bubbly. Divide 1/3 of the corn chips between two 12 c. casseroles; top with half the turkey mixture, chopped onion and shredded cheeses; layer 1/3 of corn chips, remaining turkey mixture, onion and cheese; top with remaining corn chips. Bake at 375° 45 min. or until hot. Makes 16 servings.

Sausage and Pepper Sub

SAUSAGE AND PEPPER SUB

(These are really delicious and make a good lunch or dinner, I did leave out the fennel seeds through and the salt too, I love sandwiches). ENJOY!

1 1/3 pound piece boneless pork loin, chilled
3 bell peppers (any colors), sliced
Four whole wheat hoagie rolls, split, toasted
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
Salt and Pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, sliced

Heat a grill. In a bowl, combine bell peppers, onion, 2 tbs oil, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cut the pork into slices, then into quarters. Transfer the meat to a food processor, and pulse 5 times to grind the meat. Add the fennel seeds, red pepper and 3/4 tsp salt and pulse 2 more times. Divide the mixture into quarters, form each mound into an oval patty.
*Place a cooling rack on grill grate and lightly oil it. Scatter the vegetables on the cooling rack (saving any oil in the bowl), cover and cook 5 min. Turn the vegetables. Rub the sausage patties with the oil left in the bowl and add to the other side of the grill. Cover and cook, turning the patties about halfway through, until meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
*Transfer the patties to a plate. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and add the remaining oil and vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange half of the vegetables in the rolls and top each with a sausage patty and the remaining vegetables, then serve.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS OF SAUSAGE AND PEPPER SUB...

A Better Burger

A BETTER BURGER

1 pound lean ground beef
2 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
3 dill pickles, thinly sliced
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
2 tsp tomato paste
3 tbs reduced fat mayonnaise
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
Four potato rolls, split

Heat a grill. In a skillet, heat 2 tsp oil. Add the mushrooms, season with pepper and cook until browned and tender. Add 2 tbs water and cook turning the mushrooms until the water is evaporated. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Finely chop the mushrooms and transfer to a bowl.
*Add the remaining oil and onion to the skillet. Season with pepper and cook until the onion is tender and golden. Let cool. Add half of the onion and the beef to the mushrooms, season with salt and mix well. Form the mixture into 8 patties.
*Transfer the remaining onion to a bowl, then stir in the mayonnaise and tomato paste. Spread the sauce on both faces of the rolls and arrange open faced on each of 4 plates. Divide half of the lettuce among the roll bottoms.
*Add the patties to the grill and cook 2 min. Flip, divide the cheese among the patties, cover with foil and cook until melted. Stack 2 patties on each roll bottom, top with the pickle and remaining lettuce and set the roll tops in place, then serve.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS OF BURGERS...

Hamburger Crunch

Hamburger Crunch

2 lbs. ground beef
1 T. onion, minced
2 10-3/4 oz. cans tomato soup
1 t. chili powder
4 c. corn chips
8-oz. pkg. shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onion together in a large skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in soup and chili powder. Spread in an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan; top with corn chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Serves 6 to 8.
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Stir Fried Asparagus

Stir-Fried Asparagus

Serves 2 to 4
* 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
* 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, and cut into thirds
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
* 1 to 2 tablespoons water

In a nonstick skillet or a wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the asparagus, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the water, and continue to cook until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 3 minutes more.

Old Peach Cobbler recipe

OLD PEACH COBBLER RECIPE

1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 cup milk
2-13 oz can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup (cook with cinnamon
and nutmeg and
1 cup sugar)

Melt butter. Mix all ingredients together except for peaches.
Pour into 13x9x2 inch dish. Pour peaches over batter.
Do not stir.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.

__._,_.___

Win shoes from pediped

As part of the Anniversary Bash over at Thanks Mail Carrier Pediped has sponsored a giveaway for a pair of shoes. This giveaway will end August 12, 2010

Win ImagiPlay gifts

I adore the beautiful quality that the toys and games at ImagiPlay have. They intrigue children into wanting to play with them. Through play they learn about shapes, letters etc... The blog connected to christ is currently hosting a giveaway sponsored by ImagiPlay. The winner will receive 3 sets of toys giveaway ends August 7, 2010.

Win Crisco Grilling Pack

There is a really nice Crisco grilling giveaway over at the Mommy Files currently going on. One winner will recieve

• Coleman Roadtrip LE Grill
  · Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
  · Crisco Olive Oil Spray
  · Crisco Butter Flavor No-Stick Cooking Spray
  · Crisco re-usable shopping bag
  · Crisco grilling tongs
  · Crisco hot pad
  · Crisco basting brush

giveaway ends July 29, 2010

Free Sample : Better Than Ears Pet Snack

Right now you can get your pet a great snack

Walmart free sample – Better than Ears treat for your pet

Source : A Frugal Friend (thanks)

Thankful Thursday

hosted this week at Spiritually Unequal Marriage

I am so glad that I have a place to post what I am thankful for in my life. While every day I try to have a grateful heart I love to share my thankfulness with others whenever possible. This is not to boast but to share the blessings going on in my own personal life. I must say that I love my husband and children and with my children getting older I am thankful my friendship and love in my marriage is as strong (possibly stronger) than when we met and started on a relationship. I am thankful that we never forgot how to live with love in our hearts for each other and for those around us We are now getting older and we are as adventures as ever. I am so glad that we have the spirit to start off on a new path of life. We have created a wonderful family together and that I am thankful for as well. Children and grand babies fullfill our lives and I thank God that each of them are in our lives. I am very thankful that God has blessed our family with my daughter expecting a baby again. How special is that Praise God for it is through his love that we have so many blessings to be thankful for.

Thursday 13: Back To School Items

The end of July is here and that always means that Back To School Shopping is coming up next. I thought I would share a list of 13 common back to school items.

1. notebooks


2. markers


3. construction paper


4. lined paper


5. glue


6. scissors


7. crayons


8. tissues


9. ruler


10. paint


11. folder


12. binder


13. ink pens

What does your list look like?

Win a Little Tikes Spray & Rescue Fire Truck

I so want to win one of these for my lil' Princess and her brother or sister that will be born soon. Oh how much fun they would have. Their daddy is a firefighter and he would probably have as much fun watching them play as they do playing. The blog Piece of Me is hosting a giveaway for the little tikes Spray & Rescue firetrucks. This giveaway ends August 4, 2010.

Bright Baby Tees Review and Giveaway

I am a mother who believes submerging a child in learning opportunities will allow the child to reach their own success. The Bright Tees company offers wonderful tees that allows you to be a living example of this. By wearing wonderful tees that are deemed with the alphabet, shapes or symbols that stimulates your infant visually.

Patterns like the one shown above stimulates the infant visually and can improve your child's curiosity, attention span, memory and nervous system development. A few of the great ways Bright Baby Tees and their stimulating patterns help are because

• Babies who are stimulated as much as possible, reach developmental milestones faster, have better muscle coordination, and have a more secure self image.




• Infant Visual Stimulation is an important activity for parents to do for the baby since of the five senses; vision is the least developed sense a baby has at birth.




• Research has found that infants with many things to look at, neuronal connections in the brain will occur quicker which is important for brain development.

These reasons and more can be found on the Bright Baby Website here

Bright Baby Tees not only wants to stimulate your babies knowledge. They also want to offer the best when it comes to the t-shirt material. That is why the material used is Organic Cotton. Organic Cotton is not only great for the clothing style but is very eco- friendly. The production of organic cotton reduces health risk because the harmful chemicals are not used and also keeps the soil in proper growing conditions longer.

Now with all that in mind let me tell you that we received a wonderful tee from Bright Baby Tees and was very pleased with it. The vibrant red and the black letters are perfect for stimulating infants. When the child gets older it is perfect for learning the letters of the alphabet as well. With both Princess and the new baby this tee will be worn a lot in hopes to stimulate a bit of learning.

Buy: You can purchase any of the great Bright Baby Tees on their website at http://www.brightbabytees.com/designs.php

Win: You can win your choice of any Bright Baby Tee

To enter visit the Bright Baby Tee website and let me know which tee you would choose if you were the lucky winner

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• tweet about the giveaway (1 tweet is 1 entry at least 1 hour between tweets)


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• blog about this giveaway linking to my blog and bright baby tees (7 entries) leave link in comment


• purchase a tee from bright baby tees (15 entries)

Giveaway ends August 7, 2010. Good Luck Email must be in comment or on blog profile or entries will not count.

we received the above mentioned tee for review purposes. Thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are owned by myself

Win Sweet Pea Blanket

With the new baby on the way we of course are gathering a collection to be prepared when the little one is born. I am so delighted that I am going to be a grandma again and have fallen in love with the items available at the shop Sweet Pea Baby. Right now Simply Stacie is hosting a giveaway where one special person will win the Sweet Pea Baby woobie blanket. This contest ends August 4, 2010.

Pickled Green Beans

Have you tried pickled green beans as of yet? I was introduced to them from a friend. The teens love them and so we canned some for our selves.







- 2 pounds green beans, fresh, trimmed
- 4 bulbs (to 8 bulbs) garlic, adjust to taste
- 4 sprigs dill, adjust to taste
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 1/2 cups vinegar (cider or white)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)


Serving Description: makes 4 pints or 2 quarts
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Place 1 to 2 heads (whole bulbs) of garlic and 1 to 2 sprigs of dill in hot pint jars. Pack beans lengthwise in hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Add cayenne pepper if desired.
Combine water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a full boil. Pour boiling mixture into jars filled with beans, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
Wipe top edge of jar and place warmed lid on the jar. Add the band and tighten. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Remove and set on racks to cool. Do not set directly on a counter top after removing from hot water bath.
Allow at least 2 weeks for flavors to develop before eating.

recipe source
http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--1964/pickled-green-beans.asp

shared at Blue Cricket Designs and Tatertots and Jello

Stages of Marriage

With many of my friends getting married and my daughter's wedding anniversary approaching The Stages of marriage include

The first stage they state is the Honeymoon Heaven - I say that if you don't start out in heaven then the marriage is doomed from the beginning. This is the start when you first move in together. This is the bliss that is in your heart and the reason you got married. This is the time period when you should decide major decisions such as what your future will be. I have heard couples speak of the honeymoon period being short lived and yet others as it going for the entire length of their marriage. Happiness is what you make of it.

The second stage is referred to by Dr. DeMaria as the realization stage - you realize you really did get married and the person your married has many aspects you may not have been aware of both good and bad. This is the stage that takes work so that both of you will find your goals together as a couple. This is where team work will set in or not. Without teamwork there is sure to be problems.

Step 3 is the level of family central where the marriage encompasses the family by buying a house, building careers, and all the business that comes with family life. In this stage it is very important to have date night and couple time. marriage is a process that is in need of constant work and if you ignore it a problem may arise.

The "empty nest stage The stage I am with my marriage as my kids begin to go to college and get ready to move out. It is funny that I have started to spend more time with my hubby and we are finding things out about each other again some that we had forgot about and others that had developed and we are not aware of. Sometimes problems occur here but if you celebrate being together it will be new reunion.

In 2011 we were blessed to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and while we have gone back and repeated a stage or two of marriage we look forward to the golden days. In your golden years you can look back and over your accomplishments and say "We Did IT"


shared at smell good sunday

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Winning Wednesday

There were a couple of great giveaways this week. Was you a winner? You will have to look below to see if you were a winner. Emails have also been sent to the winners.


winner of the Fairy Tale Browines:
Monkey Mommy said...
I just love the fairytale jumbo cashews

Winner of the Country Bob Sauce
Louis said...
Following publicly as Louis on Google Friends Connect

Winner of the Trendy Tadpole tee or onesie
yuki said...
Tweeted
http://twitter.com/yuki_kokoro/status/17899223788

Cucumber & Black Eyed Pea Salad

Cucumber & Black-Eyed Pea Salad
eatingwell.com

An easy salad to serve with grilled chicken or steak for supper or on a bed of
greens for a satisfying lunch. Substitute white beans or chickpeas for the
black-eyed peas if you prefer.

* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
* Freshly ground pepper to taste
* 4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
* 1 14-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
* 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1/4 cup slivered red onion
* 2 tablespoons chopped black olives

Whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add cucumber, black-eyed peas, bell pepper, feta, onion and olives; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Shared at $5 Dinners for the $5 Dinner Challenge

Ten Tips for Ensuring a Healthy, Safe and Successful School Year."

We all know that the first day of school opens up a door way into the world of spreading germs. Since hands are everywhere and there is never enough time or disinfectent to get every little germ illness often results. To help keep the germs down and ensure a healthy, safe and successful school year.

1. Children often take their cue off of us so if we are excited about school starting they will be as well. Go back to school shopping and have fun doing it. The night before create a special meal and have a great conversation about going back to school
2. Creating a quite place for them to study, read, and relax is also a great idea. After school snacks is something that we often had as lunch is often served early in the day and they are hungry by the time they get home. Have the special study area supplied with pencils, paper and etc.. so that after snack they can do their homework before anything else.
3. Its sad to say but one of the most important lessons to teach your child before starting school is their name, address, phone number, and what to do in case of an emergency. This may prevent them from getting lost or something else happening to them.
4. If your children walk to school then before the first day of school you should devise a walking route with them. Be sure it is the safest route. It does not always mean it is the quickest but the safest. Make sure that they know they have the right to say no and to yell and run to a safety place if they are threatned.
5. Teach your child that germs are spread by touching and that hand to nose transfer is the most common way to get a cold. One great way to do this is to have your child wet his hands then deep them into lightly in the flour. The flip through the pages of a magazine looking for ads that talk about colds, flus and their symptoms. While looking through the magazine discuss how it feels to have a cold or the flu. Tell him that the flour that they had on their hands is like germs flip back through the pages finding once again the ads that you had discussed. Point out that the flour had gotten to the nose, ears, head etc... and that the flour represents germs and how the germs would have caused cold or illness.
6. Hand Washing is a technique that most do not realize must be taught. After working in the medical field for many years I have learned that hand washing is one of our best safeguards from contacting illness. When your child goes to school they will be touching many different things that others have touched and picking up germs as they go along. The virus that causes the common cold can live forever on objects and surfaces like pencils, books, tables and playground equipment. Teaching children to wash their hands will help them to guard against these germs. Teach them to count to 30 or to sing the Happy Birthday Song is a good mark to know how long to wash hands.
7. Sneezing or coughing into the elbow helps to prevent the germ from being spread. So this is a technique should be taught before starting school
8. The bathroom often becomes a place to horse around in. Tell your child that the bathroom is an important private business. Make sure that they know washing their hands after using the bathroom is very important.
9. Times may get a bit busy in the school year but remember that your child is trying their best and in return you should as well
10. Plug your self into their school activities and stay an active parent through out the year. This will help them know that school is important
    
    
    
    I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Airwear blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, visit http://airwear.twittermoms.com/about.
    
    
    
    
    

Printable ZipLoc Coupon

Do you belong to the Right @ Home group? If not you can sign up for the newsletter and recieve great deals as well. Currently there is a printable $1.50/2 ziploc baggies. Print coupons here

Something Yummy for Ruby Red Tuesday

I was looking through recipes to prepare my menu for August and found these. Yum. The recipe is located here if you are interested

Shared here

Kitchen Tip Tuesday : Sticky Situation

One sticky situation you can get into in the kitchen is when it comes to measuring honey. It always is hard to move from one location to another and trying to get it all out of the measuring cup can be a nightmare. One good tip for measuring sticky substances, like honey: Spray the inside of the liquid cup with nonstick cooking spray. Also if the recipe calls for shortening or oil, measure those first and then use the same cup to measure honey.

Win a $50 Amazon Card

The blog Thanks Mail Carrier is hosting an Anniversary Bash There are many great giveaways planned one of these great giveaways is for a $50 Amazon gift card. The sponsor of this gift card is Gift Zip. I was very suprised to see the great variety of gift cards that were available at Gift Zip. If you want your chance to win a $50 Amazon gc then you need to head over to the blog Thanks Mail Carrier and enter for your chance to win ends August 12, 2010.

Caramel Turtle Tart

1 package dough for a 9-inch pie shell, thawed
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Fit pie shell dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Preheat oven and bake tart shell according to package directions. Let shell cool completely. Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring. Continue cooking without disturbing until mixture turns golden (about 15 minutes). Reduce heat to low, carefully drizzle in 3/4 cup cream and then stir until smooth. Stir pecans and vanilla extract into caramel mixture and then scrape into prepared tart shell. Chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). Place chocolate, remaining 1 Tbsp. cream and vegetable oil in a small microwavable bowl; cook mixture for 2 minutes at medium (50%) power. Stir until smooth. (If it doesn't melt after 2 minutes, microwave in additional 30- second intervals until smooth.) Transfer chilled tart to a serving platter. Scrape melted chocolate into a corner of a small, sturdy plastic bag. Cut off tip and drizzle chocolate on top of tart. Chill again until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: All You magazine

Cabbage and Apple Slaw

I love the colors of this Cabbage and Apple Slaw recipe from My Recipes.com

2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large unpeeled Fuji apple—cored, quartered, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the green and red cabbages; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Add the apple slices. Pour over the cabbage and toss gently until coated. Cover and chill 1 hour or longer. To serve, spoon into salad bowls and sprinkle with the parsley (if desired).

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Random Tuesday Thoughts where we get to share thoughts on life that are random and often not enough to fill a full post with. So today let me share what is on my mind:

• This sunday will be quite busy since I just found out I will have double classroom assignment during sunday school and then 4 & 5 year old childrens church. After that we will come home for quick lunch then go back to decorate for VBS. I will once again be leading a craft. This will be quite fun but so busy by the end of the day I will need to take a rest
• Dr. appointment tommorow my eczema has not been so good lately. I have had skin problems before but this time it just continues to linger. Hubby is also going back to check on diabetis and his blood pressure. Last time they found out he had lost weight and his blood pressure was down. Great news. I hope we find out great news this time as well
• Two of my children will be attending college orientation this week. Three hours of speaking and getting ready for school. It does not seem like summer should almost be gone but there are only about 3 weeks left before they start college

Those of my random thoughts what are yours? Would love to hear what you have going on

Pork Chops Marsala

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1/3 cup minced shallots (about 2)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Marsala wine or dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork from pan. Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Add remaining 2 tablespoons flour and thyme to pan, and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. Combine chicken broth and Marsala, stirring until smooth. Gradually add broth mixture to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Return pork to pan; cook 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Source: My Recipes

Coking Chicken for Two

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Thai Peanut Sauce
Sauce
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce
Kabobs
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 lb), each cut lengthwise into 4 strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 24 pieces
Cooking spray

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In 2-quart saucepan, mix peanut butter, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth. Stir in sugar and pepper sauce. Cook over medium-high heat about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Place 3/4 cup sauce in small serving bowl to use as dipping sauce.
On each of 6 (12-inch) metal skewers, thread 4 chicken strips and 4 bell pepper pieces alternately, leaving about 1/4-inch space between each piece. Brush chicken and bell pepper with some of the remaining sauce. Spray kabobs with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place kabobs on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 5 minutes. Turn kabobs and brush with sauce; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Discard any remaining sauce used for brushing kabobs during grilling. Serve kabobs with reserved sauce for dipping

Butterscotch Pecan Sandies Pie

I have loved sandies since I was a little girl and now I have found this delicious recipe from snackpicks

1 cup cold milk
1 package (4-serving size) butterscotch flavor instant pudding & pie filling
1 tub (8 oz.) frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed, divided
8 Cookies Keebler® Sandies® Pecan (crushed)
1 Ready-Crust Pie Crust Keebler® Ready Crust® Graham

In large bowl beat milk and pudding mix with wire whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in half of whipped topping. Reserve 1/3 cup of Keebler® Pecan Sandies™ cookies. Stir remaining cookies into pudding mixture. Spread in crust. Top with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with remaining Keebler® Pecan Sandies™ cookies. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until set. Store in refrigerator.

Good Earth review and giveaway

Ever get tired of those nights where there is no time to plan a great sit down dinner and yet you want to gather the family together for a wonderful at home meal? Well Good Earth dry dinner kits may be the answer you are looking for. They offer a restaurant quality meal in a box. The sophisticated, restaurant quality meal in the comfort of your own home. There are wonderful flavor variations each with its own wonderful flavorful sauce like sweet basil, white wine, and dried tomatoes. Good Earth allows you to prepare your family a five star cuisine in less than 30 minutes that is perfect for the healthy lifestyle.

Good Earth dinners are complete with 100% whole grain, no trans fat, no artificial flavors or preservatives, and no MSG. Simply add meat and dinner is complete. Good Earth dinner kits started appearing in stores in June, 2010. Varieties available include Mediterranean Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta, Spicy Citrus Glazed Shrimp with angel hair pasta, Herb Crusted Chicken with mushroom risotto and Tuscan Chicken with penne pasta.

My thoughts: we enjoyed the meal and I enjoyed the fact that all I had to add was a lb. of chicken breast. Inside the kit was 100% whole grain angel hair pasta, creamy sauce with olive oil, Mediterranean seasoning with tomatoes, and seasoned whole wheat flour for coating the chicken. To make the meal I simply added 1 lb. cut up chicken breast, 1/4 c milk, 1 c hot water and 2 T olive oil. The meal was ready to serve in 25 minutes. I can tell you that I have had boxed dinners in my life time and this was delicious and better for my family than others I had prepared.

MyBlogSpark sent me a Good Earth gift pact that included a Good Earth Mediterranean Chicken dry dinner kit, two sets of bamboo flatware, two bamboo dishes, a bamboo utility board and a 100% recyclable grocery tote. One of my Annies Home readers will receive the same gift pack that I did.

Want to win this prize pack? Leave a comment letting me know which one of the great Good Earth Dinners you would like to try.

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• place my button on your side bar with link back to my blog (5 entries)
• subscribe to my blog (3 entries)
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet must be 1 hour between tweets)
• blog about this giveaway linking back to this post, on facebook, or other giveaway site (5 entries for each you do)
• enter any of my other giveaways (1 entry each)

Giveaway starts now and ends 8/2/2010 Email must be in comment or on blog profile or entries will not count.

Blue Monday: Chilling Out

The things kids will do

A Star in The Making

What do you think Ready for the spotlight? This is one sweet little girl, loves to give hugs and is very smart as well. I think she is all ready a star what do you think?

Free Energizer Batteries

Get your free Energizer batteries now by like Energizer on facebook. All you have to do is like them on facebook, fill out form with your information and they will send you 2 sets of batteries free. There is a limit though so hurry.

Christmas in July : Puzzle Piece ornaments

hosted by Making the World Cuter



I love the beautiful puzzle piece tree ornaments, pins, and etc... These are fairly easy to make and you can pretty much make whatever your imagination can think up. Here is my version of a snowflake.

Supplies that are commonly used include but you can pretty much use whatever your imagination can think up

•Old Puzzle Pieces

•Paint

•Craft Glue

•Craft Foam

•Wiggle Eyes

•Chenille Stem

•Pom-poms

•Buttons (optional)

•Ribbon

•Paint Brush

•Scissors

•Clear Acrylic Spray (optional - not pictured)

Lowfat Oriental Chicken Stir Fry

Lowfat Oriental Chicken Stir-Fry

2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 medium green OR red pepper, cut into 2" strips
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Franco-American Fat-Free Chicken Gravy
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
4 cups hot cooked rice, cooked without salt

SPRAY skillet with vegetable cooking spray and heat 1 min. Add broccoli and
pepper and stir-fry until tender-crisp. Remove vegetables.
REMOVE skillet from heat and spray with cooking spray. Add chicken and stir-fry
until browned. Remove chicken.
ADD gravy, soy sauce and ginger. Heat to a boil. Return vegetables and chicken
to pan and heat through. Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

Kitchen Tip:
To save time, purchase already cut broccoli flowerets from the produce section,
and chicken breast tenders. Serve this stir-fry with rice and a sliced orange
salad. Offer fortune cookies and tea for dessert.

Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Summer time is here a great time to get together with friends and family. Time to ponder life and relax a bit. After all the hot days of summer makes it to hot to do much else. So the next time you are getting together with friends whip up a some fruit sals and cinnamon chips. My teens often do and this makes the day sweeter with good conversation and snacks

Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
Original Recipe from: Ann Renzino Page
"Easy to make, tasty fruit salsa and cinnamon tortilla chips. Great as an
appetizer or a snack. Great for anytime!"

* 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
* 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
* 8 ounces raspberries
* 1 pound strawberries
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
*
* 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
* butter flavored cooking spray
* 2 cups cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit and spice mixture.

Taco Bake

Taco Bake

2 lbs H'burger meat
2 can rotel tomatoes ( I used 1 - l4.5 oz can of Best Choice with green
chilis)
1 can refried beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg Taco seasoning
4 cups milk
1 small can Black olive slices(drained)
1 bag Doritos crushed
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar cheese
Taco sauce
shredded lettuce (optional)
Jalapeno peppers slices (optional)

Brown H'burger and drain add your refried beans, cream of mushroom soup,rotel
tomatoes, black olive slices if wanna use, Taco seasoning and mix well add your
milk mix well again.Then add your bag of crushed up doritos mix well and pour
into a 9x13 baking pan and put your 8 oz bag of shredded cheddar cheese all over
the top.bake at 350 til your cheese is melted and it becomes thicker about 35
minutes. When done you can spoon it over shredded lettuce and add jalapeno
pepper slices and taco sauce or just spoon onto plate with a little taco sauce
on top.Enjoy!!

Applebee's Classic Patty Melt

Applebee's Classic Patty Melt

1 burger patty
Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, to taste
Melted butter, as needed
2 pieces Italian bread
2 tablespoons mayonnaise with roasted garlic and mustard
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 slices Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced onions

Season one side of the burger with salt, pepper and garlic. Place on grill or in broiler, seasoned side down. Then season the other side. Cook to desired doneness. While burger is cooking, melt butter in fry pan on medium heat or in electric skillet (set at 350F). Spread mayonnaise onto bread. Drop bread, dry side down, onto melted pools and swirl to coat (to avoid sticking).
Cover one slice of bread with two slices of Swiss cheese and the other with two slices of Cheddar.
In a separate frying pan, melt butter and saute sliced onions. Season with salt, pepper and garlic while heating. Place cooked burger patty on top of one cheese-topped slice of bread and the sauteed onions on the other. Carefully close and cut sandwich. Serve with your favorite summer side dish.

Recipe Source: Yahoo Group Friendly Recipe Swap

Caramel Apple Bars

These were delicious loved by all you will have to try them to see what you think.

Caramel Apple Bars
These bars make a great fall dessert.

CRUST:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

FILLING:
4-1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled baking apples
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
3 tablespoons butter

In a bowl, cream butter, shortening and brown sugar until fluffy. Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda; mix well. Stir in pecans if desired. Set aside 2 cups. Press remaining oat mixture into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

For filling, toss apples with flour; spoon over the crust. In a saucepan, melt the caramels and butter over low heat; drizzle over apples. Top with the reserved oat mixture.
Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting into bars.
Yield: 15-20 servings.
　
Recipe source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Caramel-Apple-Bars

shared on holiday gift guide

Potato and Cheese Snowballs

Potato and Cheese Snowballs
Mr Food

Get a scrumptious, crunchy-cheesy fast food taste at home with Potato and Cheese
Snowballs! This is truly a recipe that the whole family will enjoy!

* 6 tablespoons (3/4-stick) butter, divided
* 1 (30-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the potatoes, and cook, turning frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter then add the onions and garlic; saute the onions and garlic until golden, being careful not to burn. Stir the onions and garlic into the potatoes. Add the remaining ingredients; mix well. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the potatoes into 12 equal-sized scoops, packing tightly, and place the scoops on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until browned and heated through.

Note
These are great served right away, or they can be cooled, covered, and
refrigerated overnight to serve for brunch or with dinner the next day. Just
reheat in a 300 degrees F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Amazing Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

Amazing Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

* 1 (2 lb) pork tenderloin
* 1 (1 ounce) package of dry onion soup mix
* 1 cup of water
* 3/4 cup of red wine
* 3 Tablespoons of minced garlic
* 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
* Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place port tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork roast to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with the pepper, cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Zesty Italizn Crescent Casserole

Zesty Italian Crescent Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup spaghetti sauce
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Recipe Creations (or Crescent Dinner Rolls pressed
together along the perforations)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 375°F. In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; cook until thoroughly heated.Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream; mix well.Pour hot beef mixture into ungreased 9 1/2 or 10-inch glass deep-dish pie pan or 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture over beef mixture.Unroll dough
over cheese mixture. In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over dough.Bake at 375°F. for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

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Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe source: OurBestBites.com

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
about 16 small corn or flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge. The corn tortillas are harder to roll without cracking. For the corn tortillas: work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Makes around 16 taquitos.

Cheesy Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Cheesy Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Who wouldn't love this easy recipe for mashed potatoes? With lots of cheese and
fresh-tasting herbs, it's loaded with their favorite tastes!
Serves: 6

* 3 pounds (about 4 large) baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
* 1/4 cup (1/2-stick) butter or margarine
* 3/4 cup sliced scallions (2 to 3 scallions)
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or 1 teaspoon dried
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1 1/2 cups (6-ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup milk

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender; drain in a colander. Place butter and scallions in pot and cook over medium heat 1 minute. Reduce
heat to low and stir in basil, chives, dill, salt and pepper. Return drained potatoes to pot and add cheese and milk. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric beater until smooth.

Note
If you like your potatoes a little less cheesy, don't be afraid to cut the
amount of cheese to 1 cup. They'll still be packed with flavor.

HayNeedle $100 gc giveaway

The blog Go Green Street reviewed teh DaVinci Emily II Convertible Crib and I love it. With Princess getting ready to move out of her crib and a new brother or sister on the way what a great thing this would be to have. Perfect for either the new born baby or Princess the review was great. Guess what else Go Green Street is also hosting a giveaway sponsored by HayNeedle for $100. This giveaway will end August 5, 2010.

Dyson giveaway

The Betwitchin' Kitchen is hosting a giveaway for Dyson. The winner will recieve the Dyson Animal DC31. This giveaway ends July 23, 2010

Win A Edible Arrangement

Like Edible Arrangements on facebook and enter daily for a chance to win your own edible arrangement

Scentsy Giveaway

My friend Laura over at New Age Mama is hosting a giveaway sponsored by Scentsy. The winner will receive a warmer and a few bars to try out. let me tell you that I love scentsy and have a burner of my own. Great smells helps to make a home. This giveaway ends August 7, 2010