Jail House Rock Cake

I have many memories of being a kid. Back when I grew up was a good life. The one occasion that I will never forget and one that was a very sad moment was when I came in from outside playing with my sister and friends and found my mom crying in the living room. It seems "The King" Elvis Presley had died and the world seemed to stop for a short period of time. This past week was the memory week of the day Elvis died all those many years ago. In many hearts the King will live and his music for sure will never be forgot. The cake recipe I share here brings back some of those earlier moments of the reign of Elvis Presley when life seemed so much easier.

 

 

 

 

Elvis Presley Cake: (Jail House Rock)
 

 

 White cake mix
8oz can crushed pineapple

1 c. sugar...
8oz pkg Cream Cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 c crushed pecans

Bake a white cake, cool and poke holes in it. Boil crushed pineapple with juice and 1cup of sugar then pour over cool cake. In large bowl mix cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar. Add vanilla and crushed pecans, mix good and put on cake.

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Peach Season and a Chicken Recipe

Southern Illinois is in full swing of Peach season. We simply love all the amazing recipes that you can use peaches in. First of all the delicious pastries, pies and cobblers not to mention other desserts where you can use peaches. If you want to try something not so sweet then try to use peaches in your meals as well. Check out this Chicken recipe sure to be a pleaser and oh so yummy!!!

 

 

 

 

Sriracha-Peach Chicken Wings

1 (15oz) can peach halves in heavy syrup
1 tbsp sriracha, plus more if desired
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus extra
1 1/2 lb chicken wings or drumettes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Open the can of peaches. Strain the heavy syrup from the peaches into a small sauce pan. Place the syrup over medium to medium-high heat and reduce in half.
Place three peach halves into a blender or food processor with the reduced syrup, sriracha, vinegar and dark soy sauce. Puree until smooth and transfer to a bowl.
Finely dice the remaining peach halves. Add the diced peaches, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to the bowl with the peach puree. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Taste the sauce. Adjust the seasonings as desired with more kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and sriracha as necessary. (I like a lot of spice so more sriracha is always welcomed in my book!)
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Season the chicken wings lighly with kosher salt, toss to coat. Place the wings into the lined sheet pan. Evenly pour the sauce over the wings, toss to coat with sauce, and place into the preheated 400 degree oven. Bake at 400 for 50 minutes, flipping the wings and basting with sauce in the pan after 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Using tongs, carefully transfer wings to a serving dish then spoon remaining sauce from the pan over the wings. Enjoy!

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Famous Cheese Dip

One of the things I love to do in the cool summer evenings is to sit out side with family and friends and chat while the world goes by. This cost very little and is always a good time. Want to have a few friends over and share a snack? Well here is an awesome snack that many say will make you famous. LOL thus the name the famous cheese dip

 1 8 oz. package cream cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese OR grated jalapeño jack
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small purple onion, diced (you can use chopped green onions as well or omit onions if you don’t like them)
◦Serve with Wheat Thins or Frito’s Scoops for dipping or evenVeggies

 Place all ingredients in a shallow baking dish (a 9″ square pan or round quiche pan will be perfect!)
 Microwave on high for about 2 minutes or until the ingredients are melted enough to stir together.
 Stir until combined. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with Wheat Thins or Frito’s Scoops for dipping



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International Left Handers Day

Are you left-handed? Do you know someone left handed. Well Happy Lefthander day. Now every day for a left handed person is not happy. Then have to learn to overcome many obstacles from the notebook and pencil they learn to write on to cooking utensils. You see the world is made for right handed people and to left handed people the world seems backward. So if you have a child who is lefthanded please take a bit more patience as they learn and study.

Truck Driver Day --- Truck Driver Gravy

I grew up in a rural community where farms, tractors and farm animals are present. In my early teens we moved down state and away from the family farming area. Here I met my husband who grew up in a trucking family. I soon learned all about the family and their business and grew to respect truck drivers more than ever. So on this day August 12 I had to create a post for the truck drivers every where

Truck Driver Day
Keep on truckin' on August 12^th. It's Truck Driver Day. Honk the horn, and hit the roadways.
If you don't drive a truck, you can simply wave to truckers who pass you on the pavement. Who knows? Maybe a friendly truck driver will wave back or even blow his or her horn on August 12^th.

Want to help celebrate this day? Why not try this awesome truck stop gravy recipe

Meat Mixture

8 ounceslean ground beef

1/4 teaspoonground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoonseasoning salt, to taste (amount will vary greatly depending upon how salty your sausage seasoning is)

1 teaspoon sausage seasoning (a spice blend containing fennel and other spices)

Cream Sauce

2 1/2 cupsskim milk

1/4 cupall-purpose flour

8 ouncesreduced-fat cream cheese, cut into small chunks, at room temperature (neufchatel)

1/2 teaspoonWorcestershire sauce, to taste

2 -3 drops hot sauce (such as Tabasco) (optional)             

NOTE: If desired, use 8 ounces of lean turkey bulk breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean), and omit the beef, sausage seasoning, salt, and pepper

 

Whisk together flour and milk and leave near the stove (you may need to re-whisk right before adding it later). In a large skillet, brown & crumble meat until no longer pink; push cooked meat to on side of the pan, tilt to allow fat to drip to the opposite side; remove from heat and drain fat (I drop in a slice of bread to sop up the fat, then remove and discard). If you chose to use ground beef, sprinkle meat with pepper and the sausage seasoning, and some salt to taste (only add half now); if you used the turkey sausage, do not add any seasonings at this point. Add the milk mixture to meat and return pan to the burner, over medium heat. Add cheese and stir, breaking up with your spoon, cooking and stirring until cheese completely melts into the sauce (it will look very curdled at first- this will disappear once it fully melts), lowering heat to medium low if needed to keep from boiling; this will take about 10 minutes or so- stir often. Once cheese is fully melted and sauce is slightly thickened, add Worcestershire sauce and, if desired, a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Taste and add more of any seasoning (including the rest of the salt, if needed) until it tastes savory. Continue cooking over low heat until sauce is as thick as you prefer (it will also thicken up more as it cools)- I usually only leave it another 5 minutes. Serve over warm fresh cooked biscuits that have been split open


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August 12 - Celebrate Vinyl Record Day

 

 

When I was a kid the music we listened to were records or on cassettes. Todays digital music storage and playback int todays era were not even thought of or perhaps thought of but not realized. The day of the record took a lot of care as not to scratch the record as it was being removed from the sleeve or placed back in. Resting the needle gently on the record would allow you to listen to some awesome songs. The record itself comes in a giant sleeve, a spacious canvas fro the visual part: the album artwork. The records often create a listening experience fundamentally different than the one offered by mp3 players.

 

If perhaps you have a surpluss of records and no way to play them check out this craft idea

 

Vinyl Record Bowls

 

 

 

Go to the Dollar Store and buy two stainless steel mixing bowls, one larger than the other. Then go to a thrift store to buy your records. Pre-heat the oven at the lowest temperature, about 200 degrees. Place the small mixing bowl into the oven upside-down, and center the record over the bowl. Watch it carefully, and between 4-8 minutes, you’ll notice that the record starts to get floppy. Wait until it starts to fall onto the bowl, then remove the record (using oven mitts) and quickly place it into the larger bowl on the counter. You have about 10-15 seconds to mold the record into the shape that you want. Ditch the oven mitts while doing this, and just burn your fingers. You’ll live.
These bowls can be used to serve dry foods like nuts, chips, hard candy — but steer clear of any greasy foods.

 

craft source here

 

 

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Boogie Wipes Review and Giveaway

Are you preparing to go back to school? Let Boogie Wipes be part of it. Everyone knows that life can be messy and with Boogie Wipes you can help your child keep their act clean. Whether it be that runny nose that all to often appears as school gets started, sticky treats that accompany every classroom party or after school snack or to simply wipe hands and face whenever needed. Boogie Wipes can do each of these jobs easily.

Boogie Wipes available in package size as few as 10 or in a pack of 45. Scents such as grape, menthol and unscented allows you to have the boogie wipes of choice. Boogie Wipes are made with saline that easily dissolves boogies also known as mucus caused by the common cold, allergies, or other times where a child may have plenty of boogies present. Boogie Wipes are recommended by Pediatricians as a gentle, effective alternative to dry tissue.

Puffs has teamed up with Boogie Wipes and has released Puff's Fresh Face from the maker of Boogie Wipes. Now available at Target and drugstore.com!  Available in fragrance free, light lavender, Vick's menthol and fresh scent. Visit Puffsfreshfaces.com to receive your $2.00 coupon!! 

New at Boogie Wipes are their 90 count simply unscented canisters which are available now in most major retailers like Target, Walmart and BabiesRUs. Also be on the outlook for cotton candy scented Boogie Blasters 12 count pack as well as Boogie Mist which is a saline mist with a twist.

Now for a great giveaway where one winner will be awarded (2) 30 count packages of boogie wipes. This giveaway is open to all residents in U.S. , Canada and Australia

To enter giveaway please tell me one item that is very important and always on your back to school list

Extra entries: (after answering initial entry)

• like boogie wipes on facebook
• follow boogie wipes on twitter
• head over and visit the boogie wipes website and let us know something that I did not share here
• while there sign up for the boogie bunch newsletter and let me know what email you used to sign up with
• like me on facebook
• follow @shopannies on twitter
• follow me here on gfc (look on sidebar)
• follow me on pinterest

Giveaway starts now and ends August 21, 2013 Thanks for entering and please include your email so that I can easily contact you if you are the lucky winner. Good Luck

disclaimer: we were sent samples of the product that we mentioned in this post. Thanks to the sponsor for sending us a sample so that we could provide a good review

Play In the Sand Day August 11 and enjoy some dessert

Play in the Sand Day
No summer is complete without a little sand between the toes. Have you been to the beach yet? Sunbathers and sand castle architects truly dig Play in the Sand Day on August 11^th.
Go with the grain on Play in the Sand Day. Pick up a pail and shovel, and smooth out that beach towel. Take the day off on August 11^th, and hunt for beautiful seashells and intriguing pieces of driftwood or sea glass at the shore. Perhaps this is the perfect and playful dessert for this day

36 vanilla cream-filled sandwich cookies
3 (3.9 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix (You could also try lemon flavor)
6 cups milk
1 large package gummy fish candy
umbrellas


 Place the sandwich cookies into a resealable plastic zipper bag, and crush with a rolling pin into crumbs. To get finer sand, chop cookies in a food processor. Whisk together the pudding mix with the milk in a bowl, stirring for 2 minutes. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the crushed sandwich cookie crumbs into the bottom of a serving bowl, and spoon the pudding over the crumbs. Smooth out the top of the pudding, then top with the rest of the cookie crumbs to resemble sand. Poke gummy fish halfway into the sand and add a cute umbrella. Refrigerate until serving.

recipe source here

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Blogger Question ==== Bargain Week

This past week was national bargain week. Did any of you find any amazing bargains this week? To start the week off I headed out to an auction sale where I found many beautiful pieces from depression glass to old pyrex. To finsish the week out did some shopping and found quite a few amazing deals. Awesome in my opinion. What did you do???

Grandbabies Having Some Summer Fun

Easy Rice Pudding

Mom often made a quick pudding for supper. It was only those events where we went somewhere or had company over where we would have an extra special dessert. So this type of pudding you could find on our table at home most any night.

 

 

 

2 cups instant rice (such as Minute Rice)

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnishing (optional)

Prepare the rice according to the package directions. Uncover, add the ice cream and cinnamon, and stir. Divide the pudding among individual bowls and top with additional cinnamon, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Over Surplus of Beans : Freezing Time

While we love our farmers market there are times that I buy a bit too much. In order for it not to go bad and get good use out of it all it is freezing or canning time. It has been a while since I have did this by myself so I had to do a search for how to freeze green beans and guess what I found a great resource one I am very familiar with. 

Step 1

Cut the ends of the Green Beans off with a sharp knife as seen in picture below. (I personally just snapoff the ends by hand)Some people prefer to cut off both ends of the green beans. If you need them in smaller pieces you can also cut them into 1-2 inch pieces at this point.

Step 2

Boil Water and carefully place small batches of the Green beans in.
Cooking Times:
Small Beans: 2 Minutes
Medium Beans: 3 Minutes
Large Beans: 4 Minutes

Step 3

Carefully remove the beans from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of cold Water with Ice and let them sit for 3-5 Minutes (Pictured Below)

Step 4

Lay Green Beans out on a Towel to allow them to dry (or pat them dry with a towel to speed the process)  (Pictured Below)

Step 5

Place them in a Freezer Storage Bag and you’re now ready to put them in the Freezer!  When it’s time to cook them, you will just need to boil/steam/bake them for 6-10 minutes or until tender.

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Zucchin Recipe : Zucchin Cakes

As many of you may know I grew up in a rural farming community where the produce your grew and sold was also what you would find on the dinner table. Yes we ate veggies and fruit every meal and sometimes looking at some veggies like zucchini became a bit overwhelming.

 

 

 

But when mom served it up in awesome dishes like zucchini cakes we loved it and our plates were often left empty. I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe with those that you love as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh zucchini, cheese, and spices blended together and fried until golden.

Makes: 8 Cakes

 

1 large zucchni grated, excess water removed (Note: To do this, after you grate the zucchini, put the grated zucchini into paper towels and squeeze to release the water)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup panko bread crumbs

sprinkle of ground nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon (Note: If you add too much it can quickly take over the taste, less is more)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 clove garlic, minced

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a heaping tablespoon form the mixture into 8 patties. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve.

These are great when served with a dollop of ranch dressing. Enjoy!

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Homemade Caramels in the Microwave

One of my favorite aunts, yes they are all my favorite, would bring delicious homemade caramels to every holiday family get together. She would put hours into making these but with this recipe it only takes a few minutes. Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

6 Minute Microwave Caramels

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup (Karo Syrup)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

 

Mix all ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl (the mixture will bubble up so make sure there is lots of room in the bowl). Microwave on high for 6 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds. Pour into a small buttered dish and allow to cool completely. Cut into small squares. If desired, drizzle with chocolate.

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Babies Who Lunch Sweepstakes

enter the giveaway at this link https://www.facebook.com/Svanbaby/app_208585222608866

Svan TotSeat making Life easier

Are you tired of the constant battle to find a highchair in the restaurant or feed your child on your lap at grandmas house.  Well don't worry anymore as  Svan the maker of juvenile furniture has introduced the Totseat. Totseat is the original portable child seat for babies who lunch. Made of durable fabric seat that easily transforms an adult chair into the perfect seat for babies and toddlers.

Svan makes juvenile products and has now introduced the multi - award winning chair harness. The Totseat the new addition to the children's seating line from Sweden is made of fabric and is portable, washable and easy to use. The seat simply safely anchors to a little one in an adult chair in the absence of a high chair. The totseat weights mere ounces and easily folds to fit in diaper bag, purse or tote. 

Svan worked with safety experts and peditricians who offered input to create a design that would easily adapt to fit a variety of adult chairs and provide perfect seating for babies and toddlers.  The totseat fastens high across the back of the chair and features a 3-point adjustable safety harness for optimum comfort and safety of the seated child.

 

The seat is suitable for children 8 to 30 months of age and cleanup is easy as the seat is machine - washable.  As with any child product the chair used should be stable and on level ground and the child in the totseat should never be left unattended.

 

The totseat is available in a range of 6 stylish and colorful patterns including alphabet, apple, bramble, chocolate chip, coffee bean and Tapas. Retailing at around $34.95 which includes the totseat and coordinating carry pouch and to me is an awesome buy.

 

Totseat is available at www.svan.com and at leading specialty juvenile products stores nationwide including Buy Buy Baby.  For more information and to see a Totseat demo visit:

http://www.svan.com/products/boosters-and-other-seating/totseat-2/

 

Follow Svan on:

Twitter: @svanbaby

Pinterest: /svanbaby

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when we were kids we did not have cable t.v. in fact I can remember the guy coming around asking all those interested in getting cable tv to sign up.
we did not have video games in fact we had the game pong and our first atari was still a few years ahead. But soon it would come and we would get that chicken across the street.
But the one thing we did have was time to spend together talk, play truth or dare and little games and riddles. Tounge twisters were always fun and today being green pepper day I thought I would share this with all of you.

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers..."by Mother Goose
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

PICKLED PEPPERS

4 large bell peppers, either red, green, yellow, or any combination (about 2 lbs. total)

2 c. water

1/2 c. sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 c. honey

1 t. black peppercorns

4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 c. sliced onion (about 2 small)

Slice up peppers, lengthwise, into strips about 1 inch wide; discard stems and seeds. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, heat water, vinegar, honey, peppercorns, and garlic until boiling. Add peppers and onions and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until peppers are very tender. (I cooked mine about 30 minutes.) Let cool, and pack into jars or plastic containers. Refrigerate. Serve with a slotted spoon

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Pediped and a chance to help your school

As children get ready to go back to school many start think about what students will need before getting back into the classroom. Schools everywhere can celebrate the start of another new school year by giving the local PTA or PTO  great news that Pediped has launched an awesome school initiative this fall. July 24, 2013 Pediped launched a campaign known as pediped ♥ ‘s Schools’ This new giving campaign allows participating schools to receive a check for 10% back on their total attributed purchases of pediped footwear. Each school can earn up to $10,000 per year.

The leader of the schools PTO or PTA simply enroll their school to best spread the word. Likewise, parents and teachers may also enroll their school into the program. Each school will then be given a unique code upon enrollment. Members of the school and community should use this code at checkout when making a purchase on pediped.com or any pediped owned boutique. Purchases from now through May 15, 2014 will be added into the total and June 2014 the schools will receive their promised check of 10% of total purchase. Schools can also check their earnings on pediped.com. 

Angela Edgeworth, founder of pediped footwear recognizes that "Schools need our help now more than ever and it's essential for them to have the things they need. Giving back alway has and will continue to be a core value of pediped"

 

Pediped was founded in 2005 and has been dedicated to enriching the lives of children, pediped established the pediped foundation in 2010 to work directly with charities that are devoted to the health, education and basic needs of children around the world. Since its inception the pediped foundation has donated nearly 2 million dollars in product and monetary support.

 

 Please visit pediped.com/pedipedschools to enroll your school today.

###

About pediped®

Exceptional quality, unsurpassed comfort and distinctive styling have made the award-winning company the fastest growing children's footwear brand in the United States. pediped® footwear has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance for the promotion of healthy foot development, and preeminent orthopedic medical professionals, Dr. Mininder S. Kocher and Dr. Thomas W. Vorderer, deem pediped® shoes an excellent choice for parents/caregivers who want their children’s feet to develop naturally and healthily. In 2011 Earnshaw’s, the premier media resource serving the children’s market recognized pediped® with Earnshaw’s Earnie Award for Company of the Year and Best Footwear. In 2012, Earnshaw’s recognized pediped® for their philanthropy efforts of nearly $2 million, and pediped® was awarded the Earnie Award for Company for Good.

pediped® footwear is sold in over 2,500 stores in the United States and 40 countries worldwide with an offering of more than 140 designs for boys and girls between their three lines, Originals®, Grip ‘n’ Go™ and Flex®. Originals®, Grip ‘n’ Go™ and Flex® are available in EU sizes ranging from 17 to 33. For more information, visit http://www.pediped.com/ or call 1-702-567-0311.

Follow pediped on:

• Facebook.com/pedipedfootwear

• Twitter address: http://twitter.com/pedipedfootwear

• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pediped/

Quesion for My Readers

I have a question for you all this time::::
I was sitting here having a conversation with my children about ways that stores in my lifetime have tried to get buyers to come in and shop. Among the ways we discussed were to play bingo and gain product and money when the shopper bingo. We have also seen a box in stores where buyers wrote name on back of receipt if name was drawn out the shopper won the amount of receipt. The third way we remembered was a punch card where the shopper had a card that each time they bought so much $$$ at the store they would have card punched.

Now its your turn does your favorite store have promotions like these? We would love to hear about them

Remembering Grandma: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was a child both my mother and father worked and we spent a lot of time with my grandma and grandpa. The great thing was that they lived in the country the bad thing was that we did not have a lot of things to play with. Perhaps that was really the good thing. Not having things to play with meant we had to use our imagination to have fun. There were a few things that I remember that were part of the yard yet also was part of our pretend play the grape vine harbor which my grandmother loved became our house because the harbor was built like a box and the grape leaves etc... created a house like figure. We could spend hours playing house and having fun. What did you do when you was a kid??? Did you have any special games that you played???

I also enjoyed the treats that my grandmother would prepare us. I do not think I have ever had any chocolate chip cookies that tasted any where near hers. Perhaps it is because she used oatmeal in her recipe. Today being National Day to celebrate chocolate chip cookies I thought it would be cool to share a recipe that perhaps you can make up for your bunch. Create some memories and enjoy your bunch.















2 c. shortening

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 c. white sugar

4 eggs

2tsp. hot water

3 c. sifted flour

2 tsp. soda2 tsp. salt

12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

4 c. quick oatmeal

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients from top to bottom. Place onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 200 cookies.

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