My nephew, Jordan is the one on the left. He and my son made a “tent” out of my daughter’s Disney kitchen box. My son is wearing his Ninja Turtle costume. They were so proud of their tent. They wanted me to bring them snacks to eat in their “tent”. I love those guys!
For more Wordless Wednesday’s check out 5 Minutes for Mom.
This is a re-post from last year, but I just had to share it again especially with Thanksgiving just around the corner. This is by far the best sweet potato casserole I have ever eaten.
Aunt June’s Sweet Potato Bake
3 cups mashed Sweet Potatoes or 1 Large can of Sweet Potatoes (drain juice)
-mix until smooth
1 cup of sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Mix ingredients in order as listed. Spread in a pie pan.
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1/3 cup butter
(nuts, optional)
Mix topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly and sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
**If you would like to think ahead for Thanksgiving here are freezer instructions:
To freeze- Pour into plastic wrap-lined casserole dish or pie pan. Freeze. Remove from casserole dish; wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil or put in a gallon freezer bag. Label, date and return to freezer. When ready to serve: preheat oven to 350, unwrap food and place in buttered casserole dish or pie pan. Mix topping and pour over casserole, bake 40-45 minutes, until heated through.
For more recipes please visit:
Tasty Tuesdays at Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
***Don’t forget about the Sunday Dinner Challenge***
Well, Sunday dinner did not happen again this week but not because we did not plan to have it. My two youngest children came down with pink eye yesterday and since they are contagious for 24 hours I didn’t want my cousin’s children to get it so we had to reschedule for NEXT Sunday. Hopefully everyone will be healthy by then.
I just cannot seem to find a time to schedule a big cook so I haven’t done an OAMC session yet, but I am planning one maybe the second week in November. I am also planning to freeze some Thanksgiving items too like pies and sweet potatoe bake.
This past week though I did buy the 4 chickens as I said and I roasted one and boiled the other 3 to make shredded chicken and chicken broth.
I made the Chili Garlic Paste and mixed it. So this week’s menu includes:
Sour Cream Enchiladas (I substitute chili powder for the green chilies so they are not too spicy)
Chicken and noodles from the freezer – didn’t get to it last week
Pizza (homemade or not)
Breakfast for dinner – we didn’t do this last week either – it was a rough week
My sister’s orange chicken (recipe below)
And leftovers!
Kristen’s Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
1 3 lb. bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
2 tbl. cornstarch
2/3 c. orange juice (sometimes i squeeze my own, but usually just buy a carton)
2 tbl. soy sauce
4 tbl. honey
2 tbl. white wine vinegar
1 tbl. Asian chili sauce
2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 tbl. vegetable oil
2 tbl. minced garlic
1 sweet red bell pepper
Snow peas (as many as you like)
grated orange (1 orange, make sure to grate the whole thing, this is what really gives it the orange flavor)
Toss chicken and cornstarch and set aside.
Wisk:
Orange juice, soy sauce, honey, white wine vinegar, Asian chili sauce, cayenne pepper, and ginger together in a small sauce pan. Put on low heat.
On medium-high preheat vegetable oil in wok or pan with high sides.
Stir fry garlic for 30 seconds. Do not let it burn.
Add orange peel, red pepper, and snow peas and stir fry until crisp-tender.
Add chicken and sauce and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is done.
Pour mixture over rice and enjoy!
For more menu plans, please visit Org Junkie!
Do you ever just want to open a book, or click on a blog and read something encouraging just for you? Instead of people telling you what you should do and what they are doing and how you should organize your cabinets or cook something from scratch or have 12 well behaved children, don’t you want these people to say – you don’t have to do it all yourself.
I admit it – I get discouraged. It comes and goes. I try so hard to be all things to all people. I get exhausted a lot. I wish my children were more well behaved, but they can’t be well behaved it I don’t teach them. I wish my husband would help more with my children, but he has to work to make a living. I wish someone else besides me would take the neighbor kids to church, but we are called to be salt and light. I wish parents would care for their children and not be selfish – I don’t have a “but” for that one.
I wish I didn’t try to be all things to all people.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Peter 5:7
I wish I didn’t have to save the world – you don’t. Can you see the Holy Spirit talking to me here?
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
I just want you to know that you don’t have to do it all. If you cannot do it all that is okay. God has done it all for us. We may rest in that. Did you see the word rest in the previous sentence?
28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
Thank you Lord for allowing us to rest in you.
This recipe comes from my friend Nicole. I am not sure where she got this from, but it is so good. She made this during our last OAMC session.
Chili Garlic Paste
*This recipe makes about 2 cups.
3/4 cup of jalapeno peppers (used 1-2) or substitute red pepper flakes – Use 3 T of red pepper flakes for a mild flavor and 4-5 T for a hotter flavor
1/2 cup of garlic cloves
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 T lime or lemon juice
2 T cracked black peppercorn
1 T salt
2 tsp. chili powder
Cream mixture together by hand or in a food processor. Can be refrigerated for one week or frozen.
Here is how we used this:
4-6 cups of shredded chicken
1/4 cup of Chili Garlic paste (use more if you like it hotter – taste to see)
2 cups of lentils (or any beans such as pinto beans)
You could mix the paste and chicken in the food processor but BE CAREFUL not to process too much or your chicken will be a paste as well.
You could also just mix the chicken and the paste by hand until thoroughly combined. Taste the mixture to make sure it is seasoned enough and add more paste if you would like, then mix in the lentils. Freeze in freezer bags in 2 cup portions.
We used this for quesadilla fillings. I also used this as a filling in Sour Cream Enchiladas and Burrito Pie.
It was a hit with our family!
Please visit:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for Tasty Tuesday
Freezer Food Friday at What a Crock
***Don’t forget about the Sunday Dinner Challenge***
Well, Sunday dinner did not happen this week. We were suppose to go to lunch after church with friends, but my husband had to go into work earlier so we were not able to go. My cousin and her husband and children are coming for Sunday Supper next week though.
My pastor’s wife shared a story with me. She said that when her husband was a seminary student they visited several churches. They went to one and it was their first Sunday there. They were introduced to a couple. The couple asked my pastor and his wife over that very day for Sunday dinner. She had the meal in the oven ready for when they got home.
Isn’t that wonderful? She was prepared for whoever might be coming that day. We should all be so generous. This is what being prepared looks like. If we are prepared, we are better able to welcome others into our home and to practice hospitality.
Romans 12:9-13
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
What a wonderful testimony this lady had and my pastor’s wife remembered it many years later.
Well, hopefully we can all make that a goal and work on being able to do that. Now, onto the menu planning:
I am going to buy several whole chickens and below is my plan for what I want to do with them.
With the other chickens I will do my chicken mix.
With my cooked chicken I will make several meals:
Chicken Bombay (2)
Simply Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (2)
Chicken, bacon and cheese quesidillas
With Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts (which I buy in bulk from Sam’s) I will make:
I plan to buy 5-10 lbs. of ground beef and make meat mix which can be used for several meals.
As for this week’s plan:
Beans and cornbread (I didn’t get to this last week.)
Chicken and Noodles (thanks Kelly) and green beans
Rapid Roast Whole Chicken, potatoes and salad
Breakfast for dinner (didn’t do this last week either)
Pizza – homemade or Little Caesar’s
Out to dinner with hubby
For more menu ideas, please visit Laura at Org Junkie.
This past week has been a little bit trying because several hundred dollars were stolen from my Paypal account. I have been back and forth denying transactions and talking to my bank to get NSF fees covered. Paypal has been slightly helpful. They have followed their procedures and even credited me back some NSF fees that my bank would not cover. Although I did have to go through several channels and be slightly persistent to get this done.
I did not yell and scream and cuss at them. I was calm and polite and I do feel like you can get more done this way. Paypal offered to cover some of my fees, but I did not feel like I should have to pay any of it – even $7.00. I had to speak to a manager and Dmitri from Nebraska, but I have finally got back most of my money. We are still waiting on another $100 so we will see when that happens.
Meanwhile I have had NO access to my bank account because it was overdrawn. I should say this is a small account that we keep for online purchases and such (not anymore!). Here are a few lessons I learned from this situation:
1. Always keep an “emergency” envelope of cash stashed somewhere so if you HAD to have groceries and you could not get to your bank account. I know most of you do this, but it was a reminder to us.
2. Call all of your financial institutions and find out what their policy is when your bank card is stolen or when your account number is stolen. Find out if you will have access to your money and what is involved when this happens.
3. Paypal advised me to have a credit card as my funding source instead of a bank account. The reason for this is that your credit card will likely be resolved before the next bill comes due and you will still have access to your money. We don’t use credit cards on a day-to-day basis (see Dave Ramsey), but we do have them (sorry Dave). I don’t really feel comfortable at this stage of the game dealing with Paypal at all so I will probably be closing my account so I won’t really have to worrly about this.
I have decided that for now, if I buy something from Ebay I will be using a money order if that is possible or I won’t buy from Ebay. I am not sure that I will be making many online purchases anymore. I really do like Amazon though and I also buy from them a lot.
The ironic thing about this is that we did open this little account specifically to buy online things (smart thinking Mr. Extraordinary).
I am really rethinking buying online and I am really rethinking where we should keep our money.
How about you? Do you have any advice or has this ever happened to you?
For more Frugal Friday money tips, visit Life as a Mom.
Biscuits are one thing that I love to bake and eat. I love my grandma’s biscuits and gravy. My grandpa would never let us eat “cold cereal” for breakfast. He thought that was horrible. He urged my grandma to make a hot breakfast pretty much everyday when I was young and stayed the night with them. Biscuits and gravy, fried eggs and bacon was the best breakfast ever. And may I make a suggestion to finish off your meal? It is something my sweet, sweet grandpa taught me (I miss him so much). He would take a plate and pour a good bunch of light corn syrup and then get a spoonful of butter and mix it around with his fork. He then took one of my grandma’s hot biscuits and broke it in half and put the corn syrup and butter mixture onto the biscuit. Oh I can almost taste it right now. How I miss my grandpa and my hot breakfast that grandma used to make. Yet another reason to love southerners.
This recipe is from Paula Deen. Please don’t tell my grandma, but I like this biscuit recipe better than her’s. But the milk gravy recipe is the same as my grandma’s.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork until it looks like cornmeal. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until well mixed.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly two or three times. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch cutter.
Place the biscuits in a greased iron skillet. Gently press down top of biscuits. Brush the biscuits with half the melted butter. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the hot biscuits with the remaining butter. Split the biscuits in half and ladle milk gravy over the hot biscuits.
Heat bacon grease in a cast iron skillet. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly about 1 minute. Add the warm milk slowly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and stir, until thickened, about 5 minutes, adding milk as necessary to control the thickness. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits.
* * * * *
Okay, really, bacon grease, cast iron skillet – all wonderful memories from my childhood. Should I admit I have quite a bit of bacon grease stored in my fridge right now?
To see what others are baking, please visit Life as a Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap.
And I just noticed how much my son looks like my dad in the picture above (he’s the younger one).
Well, my older children love their baby brother. Sometimes a little too much:
Big sister thought he needed a friend
Big brother didn't realize babies don't eat cookies - notice the chocolate mustache on the baby
I know I keep pushing this Sunday Dinner thing, but it is so important that I just can’t stop talking about it. I thought that I would give you a meal idea that you could serve to your family (or friends). This meal is one that I make often because I seem to have an abundance of cubed steak. You could use pork chops with this as well and I know it isn’t “from scratch” but you will forgive me this one time won’t you? I am not sure where this recipe came from but my stepmom would make this for us a lot when I was younger. If you want to make this for a bigger crowd just double or triple the recipe.
Cube Steak with Gravy
4 Cube Steaks
1-2 cans of cream of soup (you can use chicken or mushroom)
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
Just put all of the above in a crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. You can make your own cream of soup and dry onion soup mix to make this really homemade.
I suggest you make some mashed potatoes, green beans and maybe some rolls to go with this meal. You could also do egg noodles instead of the mashed potatoes to make it a little quicker. You can do everything the day before and heat it up right before company comes.
And if I can get my aunt Jody to sit down and explain to me how she makes her Blackberry Dumplings, then I will post that next week.
Please visit:
Tasty Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for Tasty Tuesday
Crock Pot Wednesday at Dining with Debbie
*Picture from here
