Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that even now as the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday is ramping up, my husband, myself, and my son each know and remember the REAL reason for the season.

Without God's unfailing love for us, which came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ, we would not celebrate Christmas. I am so thankful that God loved me and you that much.

What are you thankful for today?



Wednesday, December 10, 2008

What's Cookin' Wednesday




This week...YumYum Coffee Cake. And it is yummy! Here's the recipe:




Mix together:


3 cups flour


1 pound box of brown sugar


1 tsp baking soda


1 cup melted butter




After mixing together, set aside 1 cup of this mixture for later. You can add one cup of nuts to the reserved mixture if you want. To the rest add:




1 egg


1 cup buttermilk


1 tsp vanilla




Mix well and place in a greast 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the reserved mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.




We were taught to eat this with a "little" bit of butter spread on it while it's warm. However, it's good hot, cold, warm, room temperature...and probably even frozen. :)




Enjoy!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Menu Plan Monday


Sorry this didn't get posted sooner...but I had a good excuse! JOHN BEVERE spoke at our church last night. You know...Bait of Satan, Under Cover, Honor's Reward...THAT John Bevere.

Oh, and he was gooood.

Anyway...here's what's on the menu for my family this week:

Sunday - we had Saturday's leftovers of the BIG pot of chili I made;
Monday - cajun beef and baked potatoes with broccoli;
Tuesday - smothered chicken and green bean skillet with a salad;
Wednesday - ham quiche;
Thursday - parmesan chicken;
Friday - tacos with mexican rice;
Saturday - sloppy joes or leftover buffet.

So there you have it. My week of cooking bliss! :)

*****I'm editing this post here --- I'm sorry folks...the spacing is all off again. Guess I'm not smart enough to figure out what I'm doing wrong. AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!******

Friday, December 5, 2008

Free Tip Friday

So have you ever heard of OAMC? That is, Once A Month Cooking. I've tried and tried to get myself completely there, but have never made it. However, one thing that I've done ever since Jake was a baby is double-up on certain meals.

For example...when you're making something for dinner that can be easily frozen, then make a double batch. Two meatloaves instead of one, two batches of sloppy joes, twice the servings of baked chicken breasts, twice the servings of spaghetti sauce and/or meatballs, etc, etc, etc. It's really just as easy to mix up two meatloaves and bake the at the same time. Some folks freeze the second before baking, but I say why wait? That way you can put the baked, frozen one into the fridge the night before to thaw, then reheat in the microwave.

Anyway, you get the idea I'm going for. It's the same theory as OAMC, but not nearly to the same extent. You're still saving time, energy, and mess clean-up. I love knowing I have pre-cooked meals in my freezer.

There are TONS of websites out there about OAMC and "freezer cooking". All are based on the same info. It's a great thing to keep in mind when you find chicken or beef or any other meat on sale at the grocery store. Of course, you'd get very tired of the same dish every night for a week, but if you do the "cook one and freeze one" method, you're keeping that extra food from going to waste and saving yourself time in the kitchen later on.

Just call me a OAMC wanna-be! :)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thankful Thursday



Today I am thankful that I NEVER have to get these clean again...

These are my son's football cleats after his last traveling football team tournament this past weekend. We were just west of St Louis, and had gotten about 2 inches of snow overnight. After playing two games in one day on sloshy fields...this is the result. Aren't you jealous? :)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Here's my Vidalia Onion Casserole recipe without the picture. I apologized in my previous post for the absence of the photo. Who knew we'd get so carried away on Thanksgiving Day I'd forget to snap a picture??? :)


Vidalia Onion Casserole:


2 large onions, Vidalia or purple, cut in medium sized pieces

1/2 cup butter

1 8oz carton sour cream

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

8oz shredded cheddar cheese

15oz can cream style corn

1/3 cup milk

1 box Jiffy size cornbread mix

1 egg, slightly beaten

4 drops hot sauce (or more to suit your taste)


Melt butter in microwave and pour over onions in large bowl. Stir in sour cream, dill, salt, and half of cheese.

In a separate bowl mix corn, milk, cornbread mix, egg, and hot sauce.

Pour corn mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Spread onion mixture over top and top with rest of shredded cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes.

DO NOT let the fact that this is an "onion casserole" scare you or others away who do not like the strong taste of onions. You won't find that strong taste in this dish. The sweetness of the onions comes out. This is one of the yummiest dishes I have ever come across!!! Please try it and let me know what you think.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, so here's the deal....last week was so hectic with the holiday and a football tournament the weekend before and the weekend after...I didn''t get a plan done for this week.

Shame on me!

The good news is that I know I already have porkchops and chicken breasts in the freezer. I also have a meal's worth of my cajun beef already prepared and in the freezer. I've also got plenty of broccoli and green beans. I think we'll manage fairly well.

I also forgot to take a picture of the Vidalia Onion Casserole I made for Thanksgiving, so "What's Cookin' Wednesday" is gonna be picture-less. I know, I know...you're heartbroken. It'll be ok. I promise! I'm just telling you early so you can be prepared for the heartbreak. :)

Have a great Monday!