National Watermelon Day & A Trip Down Memory Lane

Today is national watermelon day. At our house we all love watermelon. My dad loved watermelon as well and he often brought one to our house to share with our kids. It was a day of having fun for all when the kids would eat watermelon with their grandpa. While not always graceful there was a lot of laughing on that front porch as all ate that red juicy fruit known as watermelon. I believe he was the one that taught them how to spit watermellon seeds and I know he was probaby behind the joke they all seemed to ask me about whether if they ate watermelon seeds if a melon would grow in their bellies. Now while they loved to eat their watermelon straight out of the rind directly after being cut I seem to love some of the many recipes that you can use with watermelon. This watermelon salad may just find its way into next weeks menu. I hope the farmers market has some fresh melons available.

Watermelon Salad with Mint Leaves Recipe

1 (5-pound) watermelon
1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla)
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar (your choice)
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
6 whole mint sprigs (for garnish)

Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite-size pieces, removing and discarding any seeds. Place watermelon pieces in a large serving bowl.

Peel and slice the onion into rings. Gently combine the onion rings and watermelon together.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, and pepper; whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops at a time. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings. Pour the dressing over the melon/onion mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed.
To serve, divide salad among individual plates and garnish with mint leaves.

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Fish for Friday

 

A bit of family history of mine and no this is no fish story while it does include a fish fry and a great new recipe for fish. Perhaps I should give you some background about myself. I grew up in a rural area where the little towns all came together for events. One such event was a fish fry that my grandparents pulled together because of the love of fish, good music and oh yes lots of company. Years before I was born my grandparents hosted this annual event and each family member was expected to play a role in the fish fry. It grew so much that the entire area came to the large Patterson fish fry to enjoy a get together with great music and amazing food. I can remember working at the picnic in a few different ways (1) waiting tables making sure that those that came to eat enjoyed their selves we filled their coffee cups and tea glasses. We replenished the garden fresh tomatoes and made sure that the crock bowels of pickles and onions were filled so that all could enjoy. The tables were served family style with heaping bowels of chicken and fried fish as well as garden fresh vegetables. It was the type of family environment that I still love to this day. While the fish fry as we knew it then no longer exist the memories in my mind as well as many others who came to eat, fried the fish or helped serve the tables will never forget. Our family still loves fish all though the fish fry that my grandparents started years ago is no longer in existence . Perhaps you will enjoy the amazing fish recipe that I share here today. If you like my story or you like my recipe please leave a comment so that I know there is someone out there reading my post. While I do enjoy sharing great finds I also love hearing from those of you who stop by my blog.

 
1 1/4 ounces lemon juice
1/2-ounce hot sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (5-ounce) catfish fillets
3 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 cups buttermilk
3 cups corn tortilla flakes
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
9 ounces prepared chile con queso
3 ounces prepared pico de gallo
6 lime wedges

Whisk the lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper together in a shallow bowl. Dip each catfish fillet in the lemon juice mixture. Dredge catfish in seasoned flour, followed by buttermilk, and then corn tortilla flakes to coat completely.
Pour oil into a large, deep saute pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat oil to 350 degrees F. When oil is hot, carefully add fish fillets to pan, in batches if necessary, and deep-fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes total. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Place 1 1/2 ounces of queso on each of 6 plates and top with the fried catfish. Place 1/2-ounce of pico de gallon on top of the catfish. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

recipe source here

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Inspire Me Monday

news in my area

news in my neck of the woods includes this story that ended up on none other than yahoo I work for the doctor that actually paid the charge he feels was not right in quarters. The two guys in the photo I think of as my close friends

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/man-pays-settlement-with-600-000-quarters-191225587.html

Hodge Podge Wednesday

1. Share one way you think the world has changed for the better since you were a kid?

I believe that there is more known in the health field both ways to cure as ways to work with healthcare

2. How 'bout one way it's changed for the worse?

While there was crime in the past there was still the closeness of the community and watching out for each other. These days I see more crime and less community get togethers


3. Starlight, starfish, starling, Starbucks...your favorite 'star'?

love those little fruit chews starburst

4. Name a song that's overplayed, but you love it anyway?

a recent one that I love is "This aint your mamas broken heart" but you hear it quite often but I still love it

5. When did you last have home made ice cream? Your latest favorite flavor?

been quite a while I would say last time church had an old fashioned get together and I tried blackberry was really good 

6. What do you think is the best way to inspire or motivate people?

II often motivate my girls at work by offering praise and that makes them feel better and work better

7. When was the last time you were without power?

last real time that I can remember was when the tornado hit our town very crazy atmosphere we were without power for a day or so but there were so many genorous people that helped us

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Do your best in life, be where you are supposed to be and do what you are to do and trouble is less likely to find you

Make Going Back To School A Ball

Going back to school can either be something that one dreads or with a bit of help can be something that is very much looked forward to. Why not have a ball getting ready to go back to school. It would  be easy enough to get the gang together and throw a back to school party. Easy decorations like this disco ball can make all the sparkle for the party to get everyone ready to return to school

To make this disco ball is easy enough

Supplies:

1. Large Styrofoam ball
2. Long wooden skewer or something similar
3. Invisible thread
4. Small craft mirrors varying in size
5. Craft jewels
6. Thin wire or something similar
7. Glue

Start by inserting the skewer through the center of the ball
Leaving the skewer in place take your large mirrors and firmly press them into the ball so they make a good indentation
They more than likely will not want to stay so glue the back of the mirror to the ball. You want to make the indentation first to create a firm place for the glue to adhere to
Now press the rest of the smaller mirrors into the ball and they should stay in, as well as the jewels

Now take a thin piece of wire (I used floral wire) and make a loop at the end to tie the invisible thread to. Remove the wooden skewer and guide the wire through the same hole. I’m not gonna lie, it took me a few tries. Then gently pull the thread through. Make sure the piece of thread is fairly long allowing to hang from a high place. Your done! Hang from the ceiling with a tack securing the thread and place a little clip under the ball to hold it in place till the big moment.

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Domestic Heros

Peach Dumplings

Last time I was at the farmers market there were peaches for sale. I did not buy any this past week but will be purchasing some this next weekend. Oh my the smell of the fresh peaches can only sit next to the delicious taste that they offer. I recently found this super easy recipe that shows off the fresh peach taste in a delicious manner.

Peach Dumplings

2 whole large peaches
2 8 oz cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
... 1-1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, to taste
1 12 oz can Mountain Dew

Peel and pit peaches. Cut both peaches into 8 slices. Roll each peach slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over peaches. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top

retweet post

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What we accomplished Wednesday

white cloud $1/1 coupon

Cupcakes for the Dog Days Of Summer

For the dog days of summer check out these super cute cupcakes. How fun they would be to make them for a back to school party as well.

shared at motivate me monday

NurtureMe Snack and Contest

Do you worry about what you give your kids to eat? Summer time often offers even more dilemas. With meal time sometimes being more sporatic snack time becomes important as well. There are so many products out on the market that kids would love to have the problem is they are not always good for them That is why I like nurture me. It allows both me and my little ones to be happy. Yum A Roos Organic Dried Fruit and Veggie Toddler Snacks offer big nutrition in a snack designed for little hands. Made from bite sized pieces of fruits and veggies that easily dissove in their mouth. The danger of choking as we all know is potentially there in any little one so anything that lessens the chance of choking is awesome to me. The Yum A Roos snack is great for little ones age 1 year of age and older. Nutrition is present because they offer veggies in additon to fruit preserves through a special process in order to lock in the delicious taste.

NurturMe has launched a new free iPhone and iPad APP featuring Yum A Roos adorable spokescharacter Roo to teach children about their favorite fruit and veggies. Link to enter here

 

Farmers Market and a Recipe to Share

Just visited our local farmers market. We were so busy this year that we missed putting out a garden. I am so glad that there are so many awesome people in this area that still garden and sell their goods to those of us who simply did not do it for whatever reason. I got a dozen ears of sweet corn for $3 and a nice sweet onion and 2 bell peppers for $1.50 and yet from another stand a real nice pint of cherry tomatoes orange in color for $1. Nice buys and all will be great on my table to enjoy this week. Yummy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Lindsey’s Spinach Dip Recipe

Ingredients needed:

1 10 oz container of frozen chopped spinach – defrost and squeeze out all the juice

1-2 5 oz cans of sliced water chestnuts – dice into small pieces

1 8 oz container of 1% cottage cheese – blend with a handheld blender or in a traditional blender until smooth and creamy

1 packet ranch dressing
After completing the above tasks, mix well, eat, and enjoy!




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clever chicks blog hop



Another great way to enjoy vegetables is to take advantage of this awesome deal I found while visiting blogs today

There is a new coupon for $1/1 Birds Eye Recipe Ready Veggies!
Walmart has these for as low as $1, which makes them FREE after the coupon! My Walmart is usually higher than many prices I see online and I think I remember seeing some for $1.17. Either way, it’s an awesome deal!
Birds Eye Recipe Ready Vegetables – $1
$1/1 Birds Eye Recipe Ready Veggies
final price – FREE
Thanks Midget Momma

National Coffee MilkShake Day :

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

 

 

To make this Mocha Ice Coffee Milkshake you'll need:

Vanilla Ice Cream

International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee

Cold Creamery Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer

Whipped Topping

Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate Sprinkles

a Marishino Cherry

 

1. Add three or four scoops of vanilla ice cream to a large glass
2. Pour about 1/3 cup of International Delight Cold Stone Creamery Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer over the ice cream.
3. Drizzle some chocolate syrup along the inside of the glass.
4. Pour enough International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee over the ice cream to almost cover it.
5. Top with a healthy serving of whipped cream.
6. Sprinkle top with chocolate sprinkles.
7. Top with cherry.
8. Enjoy

Feature & Follow Friday Question

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly event/hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It’s a great way to find new blogs and make new friends!

This week’s Question:

What do you do with your books after you are done reading them?

 

 

Well to tell you the trugh I have yet to get my first kindle so I still return the books to the library. At times I buy my own books or review them and these books I will share with other friends that would like to read them. Other wise the best frugal way I know to check out the new books on the market is to visit your local library and return them so that others can enjoy them as well.

Soda Pop Cake

Now while I think this soda pop cake looks awesome and would be a delightfull addition to any great party I know of another great cake that is a lot easier to make and goes great at any party as well.

Soda Pop Cake
makes one 9x13 cake

Ingredients:
1 boxed cake mix
1 can of soda pop

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the cake mix and soda pop.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Hope you enjoy this cake so easy, only 2 ingredients and tasty too.

shared at
Domestic Super Hero party
Flaunt It Friday

Blogger opportunity

Another one-of-a-kind Visionary Bri giveaway!

This time, I've partnered with Trusted Health Products
to bring you the OraMD Giveaway.

AND

Trusted Health Products sent me a bottle of OraMD to try out for myself. 

And I have to tell you that I've never been this blown away by a tooth care product. 

After one use, my mouth felt fresh-from-the-dentist clean. 

It is overpoweringly minty the first few times you use it, 

but OraMD did a better job at cleaning my teeth with a normal toothbrush 

than some other "Dentist Recommended" toothpastes do with an electric toothbrush.

I haven't been this enthusiastic about a self-care product

in a long time!

Some statistics on ORAMD:

Naturally fight gum problem-causing bacteria in 4 simple steps:
Brush, Floss, Rinse, Refresh.
Use as a 3-in-1 toothpaste, mouthwash and breath freshener
Recommended by Dentists Worldwide
Cheaper than Crest Pro-Health products – save up to 39%
100% Pure Ingredients killed Periodontal Bacteria in New Clinical Study
One Full Year, 100% Money Back Guarantee – No Questions Asked

You have to try this stuff to believe it!
Even my 60 year old father is a convert.

So, now, for the giveaway, Trusted Health Products
had offered one lucky winner
1 bottle of OraMD original strength.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Open to US and Canada.
Must be 18 or older.
Bloggers not responsible for prize fulfillment.
Information may be used for marketing purposes by Visionary Bri.

This week at our house we will be enjoying

Cowboy Beans, corn bread, polish sausage and pineapple

 

Cheeseburger Mac, rolls and homemade cookies

 

 

polish sausage casserole, roll and strawberry dessert

 

chicken drumsticks, potatoes and blackberry pie

 

minute steaks, ribs and kraut, and cheesecake

 

 

 

 

shared here and here

 

 

 



Corn Season : Recipe for Cream Corn Casserole

 

 

 

Its getting close or perhaps it all ready is corn season. Depends on when the crop got in the field it seems each year the first person who gets the corn to the table is the winner of sorts. I truly could go for a some boil in the pot corn on the cob. Oh so yummy and delicious and seems to go with nearly everything If you want to serve some corn dressed up just a bit more then try this Cream Corn Casserole recipe from Midwest Living

 

 

 

 

Nonstick cooking spray
2 16 -ounce packages frozen whole kernel corn2 cups chopped red and/or green sweet pepper
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4teaspoon black pepper
1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1 8 -ounce tub cream cheese spread with chive and onion or cream cheese spread with garden vegetables
1/4cup milk

Lightly coat a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray; set aside. Place corn in a colander and thaw by running under cool water; drain. Set aside. In a large saucepan cook sweet pepper and onion in 1 tablespoon hot butter until tender. Stir in corn and black pepper. In a medium bowl whisk together soup, cream cheese spread, and milk. Stir soup mixture into corn mixture. Transfer to prepared casserole. Bake, covered, in a 375 degree F oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until heated through, stirring once. Makes 12 servings.

Variation

• Slow cooker directions: Do not thaw corn and omit butter. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine frozen corn, sweet peppers, onion, and black pepper. In a medium bowl whisk together celery soup, cream cheese, and milk. Pour over mixture in cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Stir before serving.

Blogger Opportunity

Bloggers wanted to sign up for another one-of-a-kind Visionary Bri giveaway! Free and paid opprotunities.

This time, I've partnered with Trusted Health Products to bring you the OraMD Giveaway.

Trusted Health Products sent me a bottle of OraMD to try out for myself. I've never been this blown away by a tooth care product. After one use, my mouth felt fresh-from-the-dentist clean. It is overpoweringly minty the first few times you use it, but OraMD did a better job at cleaning my teeth with a normal toothbrush than some other "Dentist Recommended" toothpastes do with an electric toothbrush.

I haven't been this enthusiastic about a self-care product in a long time!

Some statistics on ORAMD:

Naturally fight gum problem-causing bacteria in 4 simple steps:Brush, Floss, Rinse, Refresh.

Use as a 3-in-1 toothpaste, mouthwash and breath freshener

Recommended by Dentists Worldwide
Cheaper than Crest Pro-Health products – save up to 39%
100% Pure Ingredients killed Periodontal Bacteria in New Clinical Study
One Full Year, 100% Money Back Guarantee – No Questions Asked

You have to try this stuff to believe it!
Even my 60 year old father is a convert.

So, now, for the giveaway, Trusted Health Products had offered one lucky winner 1 bottle of OraMD original strength.

Sign up, now. This is an awesome prize!

BLOGGER SIGN-UP INFO

Free Visionary Bri Blogger Giveaway Event with Announcement Post
(HTML found here)

The signup sheet is here

Link Options:
First link free to Twitter or Facebook

Additional links are $3 and can be: Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook*
Daily Picket Fence Votes or Daily Klout are $5*
If you choose to not post the announcement the cost is $5*
Giveaway will run July 17- 31

Co-Host Pages are available for $25 and include 3 total links plus a link on the main post and a Host Page

*Payment made via Paypal made to brifloorwilson (at) gmail.com

* Required

Breakfasts At Home Makes Cents #Giveaway

Mornings in our home are a bit hectic at times and requires lots of patience and thinking smart. The family must be dressed and ready to go out the door on a weekday early and sometimes when the morning seems to come earlier than it should getting out of bed is hard to do. Its a good thing that there is always a great way to make a breakfast that is great for every member of the family and whether it becomes a sit down breakfast or one that is rushed out the door no one goes to work or school hungry.

With everything seeming so out of control now days it is nice to have one thing that you can have some control over. Feeding your family and what you purchase to do so is one very important thing for me to consider and I am so happy to say that there are some great companies out there trying desperately to help us do this.General Mills is one such company. Inviting families like yours and mine to take the "Breakfast at Home Savings Challenge." Take the challenge and you can find out how much you could save during the week by shopping and eating breakfasts at home. Our family is rather large with eight (8) of us in the house. When you add in grandchildren, nieces, nephews and others that may tag along at times it grows even larger. I am always searching for ways to offer my family awesome meals and at the same time save some money and time as well. 

You can take advantage of great savings on some of your family's favorite General Mills breakfast items like Honey Not Cheerios, Lucky Charms and Cinnamon toast Crunch cereals!! To find these great coupons online that you can print directly from your printer visit the website  EveryDaySaver.com/breakfastathome

For more information about General Mills you can visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

  To help you save time and money at breakfast, we have a great giveaway   One reader will receive:

• $25 gift card to use during the event

• One box of Lucky Charms®

• One box of Honey Nut Cheerios®

• Big G Bowl

• Big G lip balm

Retail Value: $39

 

To enter this giveaway is simple please leave a comment sharing with me what a typical breakfast in your house would be. Please be sure to leave your email so that I can contact you if you are the lucky winner.

 

Extra Entries:

• follow annies home on Google Friend (located on sidebar)

  follow annies home on twitter @shopannies  

  like or comment on my facebook page 

  like my personal facebook page

  follow me on pinterest

  add me to one of your google+ circles

  Like GM on facebook 

  Follow GM on twitter 

  Tweet about the giveaway I want to win a prize pack from General Mills cereal to save time and money at breakfast @shopannies #giveaway #win

   can tweet up to 2 times a day leave link to tweet in comment

  
  

  leave a comment on any non giveaway post for an extra entry every day

   

  Giveaway ends July 28, 2012 Good luck 

   

  we were sent the same prize as we are giving away from #MyBlogSpark. There was no compensation the words in this post are those of mine alone

  
  

  
  

Tasty Treat : Strawberry Pie

Growing up in the 70s we were a generation that enjoyed jello nearly every day. perhaps it was because our mother was busy and wanted to make quick treats or perhaps it was because our mother grew up falling in love with jello recipes herself. Whatever it was I can tell you that she came up with and treated us with many delicious recipes that had a root in jello YUMMY!!! This recipe is very quick to make and would make a delicious summer treat as well.

4 cups fresh strawberries
1 (6-ounce) graham cracker crust
1 (4-ounce) package JELL-O® Vanilla Sugar-Free Cook & Serve Pudding
1 (4-ounce) package JELL-O® Strawberry Sugar-Free Gelatin
1 ½ cups water
1 cup Reduced-Calorie or Fat-Free Cool Whip
½ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Arrange strawberries in pie crust. In large saucepan, combine dry pudding mix
dry gelatin and water. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and starts
to boil. Stir often. Spoon hot sauce over strawberries. Refrigerate at least 2
hours. Mix topping and vanilla and cover pie evenly. Serves 8.

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thrifty thursday

Summer Spaghetti Salad

Summer Spaghetti Salad

 

Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) thin spaghetti, halved
3 medium tomatoes, diced
3 small zucchini, diced
1 large cucumber, halved, seeded and diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
1 bottle (8 ounces) Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber and peppers.

Combine remaining ingredients; pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 16 servings. This can even be made the night before.