CHOP - CHOP!!

DO YOU LIKE "CHOPPED SALAD?"

We love chopped salad. So many restaurants charge an extra dollar (or more) just to chop it. You know, into those perfectly bite sized pieces so each and every forkful is perfectly blended with all the salad fixings! My daughters and I love to order salads at restaurants that offer it chopped like California Pizza Kitchen. But, we don't like the price tag!

Well look what I found. . . at Target today!! A Salad Chopper by Oxo so I can make our own "chopped salad" at home. It may be frivolous to some, but my family enjoys just being able to have perfect forkfuls of salad. It also blends the flavors so perfectly.

It comes with this very deep 5 quart plastic bowl with a rim that makes it easy to rotate. The chopper, pictured inside of the bowl looks like a double pizza cutter. I inadvertently placed it in the bowl upside down. You are supposed to use it the other way, pressing down and rolling. The pieces are then cut bite sized (the dimension between the blades). I am normally pretty frugal, but this we had to have.

I made lasagna tonight for dinner with a perfectly chopped salad with Romaine, tomatoes, celery, cucumbers and a few sesame seeds sprinkled in. Some like to add the dressing before serving. We all like different dressings around here, so I serve it minus dressing so everyone can add their own. My family all commented on how nice the dinner was tonight and how much they loved the chopped salad. They asked for a repeat tomorrow night.

The price, $24.99. To me, it's worth it. I wish I could have just purchased the chopping tool, but that's not how it comes. I'm looking forward to making perfect fruit salads this summer with this tool as well. Yum, yum!

Blessings. . . until next time,

CHICKEN 'N DUMPLIN'S - YUMMY, YUMMY!!

I ROCK MY HUBBY'S WORLD ~ THANK YOU SUSAN!!

Have you met Susan, from "Not Quite June Cleaver?" I'm not exactly sure how I came across her blog, or when, but I adore her. She is full of inspiration. She homeschools her children, cooks, bakes, makes soaps and aprons, etc., etc. Her husband also travels for his job (as does mine). And she sells all of her items in her shop too! Susan shares her wonderful knowledge with us all with step-by-step tutorials. Soap making tutorials, baking tutorials, cooking tutorials and my hubby's personal favorite a step-by-step tutorial for making. . . Chicken n' Dumplings.

When I discovered this tutorial, I thought of how much my hubby loves these things. Apparently, his great grandmother made them quite a bit and occasionally, his mother would too.

My husband always orders Chicken 'N Dumplings at Cracker Barrel. Like he loves them so much he orders them for dinner. . . then with the dinner comes two sides. You guessed it. Those two sides he orders are for additional Dumplings.

With Susan's step-by-step tutorial, why not give it a try? It sure looked easy enough. I had just never thought to try making this dish before.

So, I reviewed Susan's step-by-step tutorial and thought they looked pretty simple to make. I purchased my supplies and away I went. Friday, I told my husband that I was going to "attempt" making his favorite dish and boy, did his eyes light up!

I followed Susan's exact directions and it was easy-peasy!! I was so surprised at how easy these things were to make when here I always thought it was some kind of rocket science!!

My husband told me they were the BEST!! He had them for dinner, more after dinner, for a mid-night snack. . . .

The next day he had them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yeah, he loves them that much!!

I told him that I would be most happy to make these for him once a month. He was thrilled. I made his day and Susan, you made mine. THANK YOU!!

Check out Susan's blog and try to make some of these for your family too. It's easy, thanks to Susan, a very cheap meal to make too, and makes a ton!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

CARDINAL LOVE!!

For the BIRDS!!


Don't you just adore this cute, little chubby pair of cardinals? They make me smile each and every time I pass by them! They are sitting here and patiently waiting for Spring. Well, here in Michigan they'll have a long wait. February and March are sure to bring snow. . . hopefully, by April we'll have at least the start of Spring.

So. . . until then, I just keep plugging along with my home projects. I really don't mind winter much at all. I get so much done in this "down time" as I call it. Cleaning out the closets, basement, under bathroom cabinets, purge, straighten, donate and organize. Baking, cooking and trying new recipes. That's my role right now.

What about you? What do you do to make it through the long winter months? That is if you live in a state with long winter months :)

Blessings. . . until next time,

IS THIS A MIRACLE, OR WHAT????

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?

Have any of you been fortunate enough to find and try this Walden Farms Salad Dressing? It comes is all types; Ranch, Thousand Island, French, Raspberry, Caesar, Italian, etc. Fat Free, Sugar Free and Calorie Free!! I mean really, people, does it get any better than that???? And the best part, the very best part . . . it tastes GREAT and it's reasonably priced too.

*Edited to add ingredients listed because I was asked to:

Purified triple filtered water, white vinegar, tomato paste, cellulous gel, natural spices, natural flavors, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pickle relish, lemon juice, white pepper, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, food color and sucralose.

I’m typing this right off the label of the Thousand Island Dressing (yes, I have a few different varieties. . . and I plan on trying them ALL TOO!)

Blessings. . . until next time,

Homemade PIZZA!!

CUTTING THE EXPENSES:

In an on-going effort to reduce our expenses (including food) and increase our savings (I used to want to continually increase our investments too, but since those have "tanked" ~ I just WANT OUR MONEY IN THE BANK! ~ I mean hey, we do have one kid in college and one right behind her ~ and that is soo expensive!!) I've now stopped all eating out for this family. When I first announced this "no more eating out" no one was happy with me ~ no one at all ~ including my hubs. I think "eating out" had become our past-time, our "something to do," our bad habit and an unhealthy one too.




No more eating out. . . includes "take-out". . . like PIZZA. I think that hurt them the most. So, I did what I must. I found a great alternative that I could just make at home. I found a great recipe on the web for pizza dough that I could make in my bread machine. How easy was that? The recipe for the pizza dough is included at the end of this post. When our 14 1/2 year old came home today she did look at me very strangely. You see, this recipe calls for 1/3 cup of flat beer. She saw the can, looked at me and asked if I (who doesn't drink much at all and never, beer and never, ever at 3:00 in the afternoon) was drinking (gasp) a beer? I assured her I wasn't, it was for the pizza crust. :)

One recipe for this dough, makes two crust. You can substitute 1/2 whole wheat flour for the 1/2 of the bread flour. It makes it healthier. One pizza has green peppers, mushrooms, turkey pepperoni and light cheese. The other, turkey pepperoni and light cheese. I make my own pizza sauce by using a jar of sale spaghetti sauce mixed with a can of tomato paste. It's a much healthier way to make pizza and waaay cheaper too. We had this for dinner with a Romaine lettuce salad. Yummy!! And, my family loved it to boot! Our 14 1/2 year old took one bite and gave me a double thumbs up. Not bad, huh?

Come on, unpack that bread machine that has been collecting dust and give this a try. This is the year that I am going to dig out those seldom used appliance (you know which ones I mean, we all have them) that were purchased to make my life easier. . . and well, use them to make my life easier!!

The World's Best Bread Machine Pizza Dough Recipe

Makes 2 Pizza Crusts

· 1 1/3 cups water (Or 1 Cup Water and 1/3 Cup Flat Beer for better flavor)
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· 1 teaspoon honey
· 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
· 2 tablespoons cornmeal
· 3 1/2 cups flour
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
· 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
· 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
· 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Add ingredients to machine in order listed.
Set to “Dough” mode.
Once completed, place in greased pan (2 - 9x13 inch or round pizza pans).
Let dough rest on pans for 10-15 minutes
Spread dough out in pan.

Add light layer of sauce and pre-bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
Remove from oven and add toppings of your choice.
Bake in oven at 400 degrees until done (approx 17 - 20 min, depending upon topping thickness).

Enjoy!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

MEGA BATCH OF CANDY

Do you like peanut clusters? We do, especially at CHRISTmas time! (For those of you coming over from Darlene's Blog (Our Creative Life) for the "Cookie Recipe Swap" ~ Darlene asked me to link up my candy recipe too. Hope you all don't mind!

Here's the recipe for a huge batch of these babies. They're really easy to make when you use the crock pot. Just dump all the ingredients into the crock and let them slowly melt together. They are yummy, yummy too!!

Peanut Clusters

1 (16 oz.) jar unsalted peanuts
1 (16 oz.) jar salted peanuts
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (12 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips
2 (12 oz.) bags peanut butter chips
2 (1 lb.) packages White Almond Bark/Vanilla Candy Coating break into pieces

Layer ingredients, in order listed, into (4 quart or larger) crock pot. Turn the pot on low, cover it with a lid. Allow to melt for two hours, then stir to mix. Replace lid and continue melting ingredients for another 30 minutes.. Check to see if almond bark is melted, and if so, stir and spoon mixture onto wax paper. Allow to cool/harden - 1 hour or so before removing.

You can see it makes a large amount. Just perfect for holiday gifting to friends and neighbors. Monday I'm taking a large tray of candy, cookies and Pizzelles to our youngest daughter's school for the teacher's lounge. So, I'll once again be cranking out those Pizzelles. If only I could keep my family out of them LOL!

Blessings,

WE'RE NOT ITALIAN, BUT WE LOVE PIZZELLES

Pizzelles are the perfect little cookie to have with a cup of coffee or tea. I have always loved them ever since I was a little girl. I had an aunt who made them every year at Christmas time. Yummy, yum. Her hubby was Italian and she learned to make them from her mother-in-law. Lucky lady. I looked forward to these special treats every year. That was long, long ago. . . .


Besides knowing how much I loved Pizzelles, all I knew was that they were made with a special Pizzelle waffle iron; which I didn't have. . .so I couldn't make them.

Until. . . this fall. While garage/yard sale shopping I came across an almost new-like Pizzelle waffle iron!! Can you believe that???? The owner told me she had purchased it only to make Pizzelles for her daughter's wedding. She had not used it since and has no desired to use it again. She had a price of only $5 on this treasure.



It also included the original instructions and the "Classic Pizzelle" recipe. I asked if I could plug it in just to make sure it worked. (I didn't test something once and after getting it home found it didn't work ~ bummer!) Oh yes, this little baby was mine once it started to heat.

I was a happy girl making these babies!! And my family was happy too when these Pizzelles were finished. Now my family loves them too and it will become part of our Christmas tradition from now on :) .

Blessings. . . until next time,

Sunday Dinners

Do you make a big dinner on Sundays or do you go out to dinner?

We have always gone to church on Sunday as a family and then out to dinner. Well, I'm tired of paying all that money each week for dinner. . . and it certainly does not help our waistlines either. It's hard to control how the restaurants cook our food (fats, oils, calories, etc.) and the restaurants give us wwwaaayyy larger portion sizes than anyone really needs.




But my family is hungry and ready to eat after church. They don't really like to wait while I'm cooking dinner. So, I've solved this problem. I place a roast in the slow-cooker (a frozen roast) the night before ~ sprinkled with Steak Seasoning. . .and cook it on low all night long, I've also dug out my bread machine. You all have one of those stored away somewhere now don't you?!?

I found this wonderful bread machine recipe book this summer at a garage sale for a couple of dollars. Simple, easy, bread recipes. Yeah, it was stored away with my bread maker. . . waiting to be touched and have those wonderful recipes tried. I now wake up on Sunday mornings, get the bread going, get ready for church and by the time we get home. . . it's all ready!! Today we arrived home with 6 minutes to spare before the bread was done!!

Today we had Egg Bread. Yummy, yummy. A few weeks ago we had Cheese Bread. Double Yummy. The house smells wonderful when we arrive home from church between the roast and the homemade bread baking. I peel potatoes and get them boiling, one of our daughters will set the table, and my husband will cut the roast.

I found this wonderful West Bend Bread Slicer at the Thrift store a few years ago and it makes slicing bread so easy with the guides. I use an electric knife to slice the bread.

We now have so much more family time on Sundays. We're not driving to the restaurant, waiting in line and waiting for our food. And best of all, we have those yummy leftovers and more money in our wallet too!

Blessings. . . until next time,

ARE YA READY FOR A LITTLE CHRISTMAS????

Merry CHRISTmas!!! I'm still tweaking a few things here and there with my decorations, but I'm off to a good start anyways. Here's "part" of our Great Room:
Here's the 14' tree. See why I had to complete the drapes to the windows BEFORE putting up this beast? Everyone runs when it's time to decorate this. Why, I'm not sure ~ LOL!

A little cheer on the sofa table. Of course, I cut off the wreath swag on the stand. So like me :)

My Ballard's Urn filled with gold bulbs of various sizes surrounded by my three holly trees.

The mantle ready and waiting to have the socks filled with goodies. There are only 4 of us in our family. The 5th is for our Yorkshire Terrier, Winston Churchill. He's very much "family" to us all.



Are these not the cutest, little carolers you have ever seen? Last year, after Christmas (like one week after) on the way home from our up-north Michigan cottage, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch. These little darlings were 75% off!!! Originally $20, mine for $5 each. So cute!!

I'll be sharing more decor and recipes for Christmas in the days to come.

Blessings. . . until next time,

A Lovely, Unexpected, Surprise!!

In addition to my new microwave/convection oven combo unit. . . my hubs surprised me with this wonderful, new, delightful appliance. A Kitchen Aid Deluxe Heavy Duty Mixer. I have a dying Sunbeam Mixmaster that I received as a shower gift . . . way back when. . . and I've had it serviced a few times. After having it serviced the last time I told my husband that I would love to "some-day" own a Kitchen Aid Heavy Duty Stand Mixer. Well, I guess that "some-day" came for me.

The time to receive this unexpected gift is great because here in Michigan it's been cold and snowy. Might as well stay indoors and "nest" away. Baking for my family has never been more enjoyable for me. . . and . . . I . . . absolutely. . .love it!! I've been making recipes I haven't made in a while and having so much fun in the process. Am I one blessed lady, or what?

Well, I have to go and give away some baked good now so they are not sitting around our house tempting me. You know. . . "Outta sight, out of mind. . . or in my mouth and on my behind!!" I think perhaps the elderly couple who recently moved in across the street may enjoy some homemade banana bread :)

Blessings. . . until next time,

Suggestions, Advice. . . Anyone?????

Due to the fact my oven/microwave combination unit was recalled. . . we were forced to upgrade. Well, actually G.E. offered either a repair or money towards a new combo oven. We had a few problems in the past with our old oven/combo so we decided to just take the money and get a new one. So, this time I went for the microwave/convection oven combo. Supposedly, it is supposed to save energy costs and cook food faster. I adore how it looks with the sleek black and stainless steel design. This oven has the capability of turning off the convection and just using the oven the conventional way. It also has an feature which will automatically adjust a conventional oven recipe to convection temperature. How cool is that? I guess I'll have to read the manual. There are buttons for things I have never even heard of before. . . like. . . a Reminder button, a Probe button, a Warm/Proof button.

Do any of you have a convection oven? If so, do you like it? Do you find it really cooks foods faster and heats more evenly? Are there any tips or suggestions you could pass this way to me? I would appreciate any and all input.

Of course, my all so handy, do everything himself hubby (for which I am truly blessed!) decided to remove the old oven/microwave combo and replace with my new oven/microwave combo during the time the 11 cheerleaders were arriving at our house for the sleepover on Saturday night. Sure, we always have a mess like this going on while parents are coming in and out and cheerleaders are cartwheeling all around :) Why not?

Blessings. . . until next time,

OK, Party's OVER!!

Yes, I sure had fun while it lasted!! All that Holiday Hoopla, eating foods I don't normally have available, holiday baking, cooking and candy making! Oh, those were the days my friend. . . but the Party's OVER!! I committed to doing something about this growing body of mine long before the holidays. I gave myself permission to enjoy whatever I wanted during the holidays. . .for the end was near for me!!


This was the week to get serious again. I'm getting older and need to take off about 30 lbs I figure. Oh, I've taken it off before. . . yes, the same 30 lbs! Wouldn't you think that I would "get smart" and keep it off? Oh, well, never stop trying is my motto. What is done, is done, but I can control from here on out what I "do." So, on Monday a buddy and I were back at Weight Watchers. We've knick-named ourselves, "The Chub Club!!" It amazes me how this happened. Did this weight just sneek up? A few pounds here, a few pounds there?


Weight Watcher's . . . it's such common sense actually. Eat less, weigh less. Make healthy choices. Natural foods, fruits, vegetables, etc. I never used to be in my younger days, but I am certainly a stress eater now. I think it's called "children??" I've said lately that maybe I should have been born a cow because I like to graze all day.


Anyways, this is the year for "ME!" Take care of myself. The year for "Sher." I've been very good this week and feel wonderful. I've been exercising and eating properly. Mostly being aware of what I stuff in my mouth without giving it a second thought is so important for me.


The above picture is actually a Weight Watcher friendly cookie. I made them this afternoon for my family and they are great with a cup of coffee. Here's the recipe if you are interested. 2 WW points for those of you who are counting.


Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies = 2 pts. each



1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins*


Preheat oven to 350*F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Combine first five ingredients. At medium speed beat sugars, egg whites, oil and vanilla until blended and thick. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in raisins. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets 2" apart. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden. Cool 2 minutes. Transfer in racks; cool.

*I soak my raisins in warm water before adding. They are softer and more plump this way.

Makes 24 cookies. Per cookie: 85 cals.; 1 g. protein; 1 g. fat (0 g. saturated); 0 mg. chol.; 17 g. carbs.; 57 mg. sodium; 1 g. fiber; 10 g. sugar


Blessings. . . until next time,

. . . Tuesday's Thoughts

Well, it's Tuesday. I overslept, woke up with a terrible sinus headache, didn't even send my youngest off with a proper sending (hug and "have a great day sweetie").

Oh well, time to recover. I made a pot of coffee, had a few cups while getting ready. . . went to the Jr. High School to drop off my youngest's forgotten lunch, went into church to volunteer for a few hours and stopped at Wal-mart on my way home to pick up a few necessities.

Then I made dinner and felt like baking some cupcakes with a new recipe (which follows). No, I'm not a cake decorator type person at all. Simple. Simple. Bake, frost, done. I don't get out all those little decorating tips and bags. Never had a desire to get that creative, or had the time, with something that doesn't last too long around my house.

. . . but I did make enough to share. I sent some home with a friend who dropped off my youngest from an outing tonight. It's always nice to share : ) (or Sher)

Cupcakes
24 paper liners
1 butter recipe golden cake mix, or yellow
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners. Mix above ingredients, beat until well mixed. Pour into liners. Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until golden and toothpick comes out clean, or springs back after touching. Cool.

Chocolate Syrup Frosting
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted*
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix butter, cocoa and chocolate syrup in large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until combined. Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix until nice and fluffy. Frost cupcakes.

*Sifted to reduce lumps (I place in a bowl and whisk for sifting)

Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar. . . and share (or Sher)!

Now, off to hide those cupcakes. My motto? "Outta sight, outta mind, or in my mouth and on my behind!"

Blessings. . . until next time,

Slower Cooker. . .

Fall. Cooler weather. . . shorter days. . . fire in the fireplace. . . spiced cider. . . ALL THOSE KID'S ACTIVITIES WE RUN AROUND DOING!!!

Do you use a crock pot? I do. I love mine. I use it all year round actually, but especially in the fall when the running around with the activities starts. It's nice to set it and go. Here's a recipe I just found and can't wait to try. My kind of recipe. E-A-S-Y Peasy!!

German Potato Soup

1 pound cooked smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/2 of a 28-ounce package frozen loose-pack diced hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers (about 4 cups)

1 16-ounce jar sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

3 14-ounce cans chicken broth (5-1/4 cups)

In a 4- to 5-1/2-quart slow cooker place sausage, frozen potatoes, sauerkraut, and mustard. Pour broth over all.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours.

Makes 6 to 8 main-dish servings (about 9-2/3 cups).

Here's the link to sign up for slow cooker recipes delivered daily to your e-mail account. http://slow-cooker-recipes.blogspot.com/

Soup is great in the fall. Served with a tossed salad and a roll or homemade bread . . . ummm, doesn't get much better than that (unless, of course, someone else is doing the cooking!!) .

Blessings. . . until next time,