TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

I have this friend, you see. Her name is Lisa. She and her twin host this blog carnival called, "TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY" or TMTT for short. I go through spells in posting. I was doing good for awhile. Then I ran out of ideas or time or something. Well....I'm back. And this is a keeper!

I did cup cakes (the recipe made 24, but I would think a tube or fluted pan would work well, too.)

Here are all the ingredients:

cake:

zest from 4 oranges
1/2 pound of butter (room temp)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh OJ
6 oz buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups choc chunks (I used Baker's semisweet and cut into chunks....one 8-oz box was perfect)

syrup:

1 cup OJ
1 cup sugar

Ganache:

1 pound semisweet chips
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp instant coffee powder

Directions:

Cream 2 sticks of butter and sugar for about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time.
Add zest of all oranges

In a separate bowl, sift/mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup OJ, buttermilk and vanilla.

Add the dry and wet ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture. Alternate: dry - wet - dry - wet - dry (do not overbeat.)

Toss the chocolate chunks with a dusting of flour. (This will keep the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the pan.) Fold the chocolate into the batter with a spatula, being careful not to over mix.

Put into pan. Not sure of the time...maybe 350 for 45 minutes? The cupcakes were at 350 for 28 minutes.

While baking, make a syrup. Mix the OJ and the sugar. Heat to clear. (Bring to slight boil to dissolve.)

Ganache: over a double broiler (or even in a microwave) melt/mix the coffee granules, chocolate and cream. Stir until shiny and smooth. You want the chocolate to drizzle smoothly, not gloppily. (is that even a word?) So add more cream if you need.

When the cakes are done, remove from pan. Spoon or brush syrup over the top. You don't have to soak it in or use it all, but a nice amount. Do this over a warm cake so it will soak in more.

When cakes are cooled, either spoon ganache to sit on top and drip down sides or drizzle with spoon for a stringy look.

If you have any questions or want any other recipes, let me know. Tell me how they do!!!

JUST STUFF

Hey, guys. Does anybody miss me when I'm not on? I haven't blogged in awhile. Sorry.....

I didn't get my Making a Happy Home Monday post up, nor did I connect to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday because my family and I were out of town one last time for the summer.

The trip was totally cool....not something that a majority of people get to do...well, not in the way we did, anyway.

My hubby is a pilot. You know that if you have read this blog for any length of time. He doesn't fly for a typical airline. He flies business jets....not for one particular person/business, but for the rich and famous who need to fly out to the Caribbean for the day or night or to North Hampton for lunch or what have you.

Whereas pilots for American get several one-way vouchers to share per year and get to fly immediate family for a nominal fee, my hubby's company allows its pilots to fly on their planes for free....wherever they may be going. AND, immediate family can join him....for free.

Some might think this isn't a very good trade off. I mean, you can't plan where you will go...you just go. You might have to rent a car back (which we did). But, we flew on a PRIVATE JET! It had first-class accommodations. It sat 8. It sat 8 VERY, VERY comfortably. Comfortable as in 4 of the seats faced the other 4. The seats can swivel out into the aisles, turn 360 degrees, and lay back (all the way). That flight, if we just bought tickets for the entire family through a similar private charter company, would have roughly cost $28,000. Not joking....we just looked. We got it for free.

THE PLANE


INSIDE THE PLANE

Some other benefits he gets are hotel points because he stays in hotels 10-16 nights per month. That works out nicely for us, as we haven't paid for a hotel for years. So this expensive trip really didn't cost us that much.

We had so much fun. It was a last minute flight. So last minute, in fact, that we only had 30 minutes to get ready and get to the airport. My hubby even forgot his clothes. LOL!

We didn't get to San Antonio until late. The next morning, we lazed around, then swam for awhile. We changed hotels and got on the Riverwalk. We did a boat tour, saw the Alamo, had a snack, then went for rest. After that, we went down to the Riverwalk and ate dinner. We swam for a little bit, then went to bed. The next morning (Monday morning) we went tubing down the Comal in New Braunfels. We went through Austin and saw some great friends. Had a few of their pretzels (YUM!), then ate at Hula Hut with Mommy Spice and Spicy Girl. (See Hunan Spice in my sidebar.

We got home LATE Monday night, or properly stated, early Tuesday morning....yesterday.

Yesterday was also the day we welcomed a new boy into our family. His name is Moose. He is really cute and has fit in nicely.

I have found out the teachers for my children and am thrilled that they will be working with my boys. I am going to be room mom for the kindergartner, but will help with my 3rd and 5th graders.

Other than that, we are slowly getting into a routine. School starts this Monday. I'm sad, but glad. I will be back in a few days. I have a lot to do. A lot to blog about. A lot of reminders about where we are in holiday planning. really, y'all....only a month before WalMart starts putting out their Christmas stuff!!! WOOHOO!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

You know what I'm talkin' about, right? The friend I have? I've told you about her? Her name is Lisa. Well, she and her twin Lana, cohost this blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." A lot of folk post recipes, tips and kitchen tidbits....it is a lot of fun.

I like to pop in a share some faves...I will be a lot more diligent come holiday time. I had a blast last year. AND, I hope I was a little helpful.

This dish was one that I got the recipe for when on my honeymoon...almost 18 years ago. This is a "fancy" dish. It is easy (despite how it might sound) and SO SO yummy. I hope you will give it a try. I will not post the original recipe. I had to adapt it some, due to the availability of some of the products.

The dish is:

BAKED CHICKEN IN SHRIMP SAUCE

ingredients:

4 lbs. chicken breasts or parts

1/2 c. seasoned flour (just salt and pepper, y'all)

1/3 c. butter (real)

1 medium green pepper in strips

1 onion, sliced think

2 (10 oz cans frozen shrimp soup)**

**I use 2 cans of cream of shrimp soup and 2 cans of tiny salad shrimp...the kind you find where the canned salmon and tuna are.

1/2 cup water

1 (8 oz) can tomatoes, chopped (or 1 c. fresh tomatoes, chopped)

1/4 tsp. thyme

Dust flour over chicken. Brown slowly in butter. Remove and arrange in 2 (8X12) baking dishes (skin side up*) *I used skinless

Saute pepper and onion in drippings until tender. Pour off drippings. Add soups and shrimp and water. Heat until soup thaws (if using frozen soup). Add tomatoes and thyme. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake 45 minutes at 375. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until tender. Serves 12.

OMGsh!!! This melts in your mouth.

Now, say for some STRANGE reason you don't do shrimp. You can use this method with any cream soup and leave out the shrimp all together. You will still get a melt-in-your-mouth piece of bird!!! ENJOY

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My friend, Lisa, hosts a blog carnival called Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. It is a lot of fun. A lot of folk get together and share recipes, tips and other kitchen ideas...I hope you will join us.

For my entry, I'm doing hamburgers... yes, the same hamburgers I promised to do last week, but since hardly anyone reads anymore, you don't know that, do you?

HAMBURGERS

ingredients:

3 pounds 85/15 ground beef

1 can chopped jalapenos

a few tbsp tomatillo - green chile salsa

salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder

Put all ingredients into a bowl. IF you should choose to use a lower fat beef, you will need to add some oil. Mix, with your hands, all the ingredients. Form into 1/4 pound patties. Grill to desired doneness.

For a topping, I diced some roasted green chiles (not the canned, these were from Hatch and have a much better taste) and some onions. I heated this mixture. It was YUMMY! on top of the meat. The meat had a nice flavor without being too spicy.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all! It's Tuesday....time for TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY! You all remember my friend, Lisa? Well, she and her twin, Lana, co-host this blog carnival in which so many people link up and share recipes, tips, and ideas dealing with the kitchen. It's a lot of fun. I hope you will pop on over and join us.

I have been hinting at a cookbook give-away for a few weeks now. And yesterday, I PROMISED that there would be something great today. SO......here it is.

THE GREAT ~LL~ COOKBOOK GIVE AWAY

Here are some pictures:








They include:

365 Foods Kids Love
The New Woman's Day Cookbook
Everyday Chocolate
Country Cooking
From My Mother's Kitchen
Necessities and Temptations
Southern Living Slow-Cooker
Vegetables
Dear Daughter
Meals Like Mom
The Lady and Sons (Yes....a Paula Deen book)
Chili Cookbook
29 magazines and inserts (these are mostly Cooks Country and Cooks Illustrated)

SO....how do you get one? Well, May 29th was my 3rd Blog-versary! That, alone, is a good reason to have a give-away. First, I would like to thank my faithful few. Some of you have been "with" me since the beginning of this little hobby of mine. Some of you joined in later. To those of you who read AND comment consistently (no...not every single post, but I don't have to jog my memory as to who you are) then I would like to guarantee you something. Now.....this number is less than 10....it's closer to 6. If you are one of those...and you know who you are...then leave me a comment with your top three choices. I will then get back to you as to what you are awarded. Since there are a few that will be more popular than others, then the first one to respond with their first choice gets it.

After that is claimed, then I will open up the remains to an actual random drawing. Sound good? I hope so. You don't know the pain I feel in giving these away...please love them!

ETA: I will not be mailing anything until next week. I am leaving town tomorrow for the rest of the week.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all! Hope you are having a good beginning to the week. We are. It's just hot hot!

So, before I forget, I will try to activate Mr. Linky.....but he hasn't been cooperating with me lately. SO, you may, or may not, be able to link up. If it's not up, please leave a comment!

A lot of you already know what I do here, but I suppose there may be a few new readers....either to this blog-carnival or to the blog, in general. I started this blog-carnival as a way to hold myself accountable. You know....pride can be a powerful ally OR a horrible enemy. I have chosen to use it to work on my house. I tend to get a little lazy. But, if I put something out there, then I will do it. Otherwise, I might just think about it and never get it done.

The purpose of (hopefully) allowing everyone else to link up is the same. My hope is that this blog will encourage and inspire others to do something in their homes.

So what is a happy home? A happy home doesn't have to be spotless. Heaven help us if it does. LOL! It does need to be clutter free and well-running. I find that if there is an area of my home that doesn't work well...either it is cluttered, ugly or dirty.....then I need to remedy that somehow. When I do that, I'm happier. My hubby is happier. My kids are happier.

Please join me. Find an area of your home that needs to be cleaned, organized or beautiful. Take pictures if you can. Share them with us. This is a long process. One that, sadly, will never be DONE. It is a work in process. I hope you will join in on that process with me.

SO, without further adieu, I will share what I did for Making a Happy Home.

BOOKS!

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I had the teaser about my cookbooks? Well, it is coming together, so be sure to tune in tomorrow for some BIG NEWS!

For today, let me show you the before and after.

I keep my cookbooks above my bar in the cabinets. Above my bar, on the counter, on the hearth, by my bed, in the FTU, on the sidebar, in the floor, on the kitchen table...the point is, my cooking library has exceeded the capacity for that space above the bar. That will probably not change. I can't give up more kitchen space because, well.....I cook and need that space. I don't want to keep it on our bookshelves in another room because that just seems wrong to me, somehow. :)

I have too many books. Specifically, I have too many cookbooks. (We'll talk about regular books later.) There are some cookbooks that, no matter how much I may or, may not, use them, I will never part with. There are some that I have looked through once and that was it. I'm sad that I invested the money into these and didn't use/keep them. I think my hubby understands, I hope so....otherwise, I'll never get another cookbook. :p

Here is a before picture of the area with my cookbooks.

Here is the after. Not too bad, huh? Just wait till you see what you might could get!

**HINT HINT** You REALLY need to leave a comment.

COMING SOON

OK, y'all. Sometime soon...not sure when...I'll be having a drawing/give away.

Now considering I only have about 6 readers, you should ALL get something.

Just doing a quick count, I have 8 cook books, 8 Cooks Illustrated magazines and 6 Cooks Country magazines. (The magazines will be given away 1/2 each per bundle...does that make sense?)

Anyway, I haven't even crawled under the bed, through my stacks of "to go throughs" or in the bedside table.

So first, I need help from my friends tollesons4him or Lisa to tell me how they did their give away. I'm new at this.

Please don't start commenting wanting on the list yet. (You can comment and tell me if you like the idea (or not)). I will post when I'm ready and also post pictures of what, exactly, is going to be up for grabs. The area of my kitchen that is dedicated to my cookbooks is a mess....cleaning it out will still not allow me to fit everything. I love cookbooks, but I have to start cutting back. I'm analyzing what I simply "must have" (ridiculous sounding, huh?)

I always have the best intentions. I get a new cookbook, feel badly about my habit and decide that next time, I will JUST SAY, "NO!" But, then? I get a new promo...you know the ones? Review the book for 30 days. Keep it and pay 10% less than the "normal man." Or return it with no obligation.

Well, the conversation is always the same. My sweet hubby sees the box, which obviously contains a book, and asks, "Is this one of your cookbooks?"

Me - "Probably."

Hubby - "Did you want this one?"

Me - "I always want a new cookbook, but if you tell me, "No" then I will send it back." (As I am ripping open the box with the excitement of a starved lion disemboweling an antelope.)

I'm so sorry for this picture. My first impression was that it was too gross and graphic...then I just started laughing out loud! Sorry for my sick humor! ROFLMBO!!!

Hubby - (being the delightful soul he is) "OK."

*sigh*

(This is a side note to my sweet darlin'! Please don't see this as my desire to have you "cut me off." PRETTY PLEASE? I will try to cut back. You know the books I absolutely want...we've talked about it. The problem is that I have to open them to see if it is part of that group. Then, well if it weren't just so stinkin' beautiful....I can hardly stand it. But, I'm working on it!)

WOW!!! That was a tangent, wasn't it?

The point of this post is to say that I will soon be giving away some wonderful cooking literature. If you like the idea, let me know and stay tuned for the whens and the hows to be entered for the drawing!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME AND MEMORIZATION MONDAY

Hey, y'all. It's that time again...time for Making a Happy Home and Memorization.

First, let me explain what all this is about, then what I want....no, what I NEED to do in the next few weeks (months).

OK...WHAT IS MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY?

Making a Happy Home Monday is a blog carnival that I do to help inspire and encourage others to do something around their homes to make it happy. You can choose big projects or small. You can clean it, organize it or make it pretty. Either way, if you feel good by having done it, then you made your home happier. I have a few who participate who are very good...they inspire me.

WHAT IS THE MEMORIZATION COMPONENT?

This is something new I did to help ME....I need to start memorizing parts of the Bible (roll your eyes, if you must, but some of you know the importance of this)....."I have hidden your words in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11. "Hiding" His word in your heart is memorizing. Sometimes, you might be faced with an issue and you just don't have time to sit down and research the Word for an applicable scripture. However, if you KNOW the Word, then He will bring it to your mind when you need it.

I have been working on it and will continue.

HOW CAN I JOIN IN?

You can read. You can comment. You can link up. You can link up on Mr. Linky (down at the bottom) and share with me and the other 3 readers some things you are working on. I would love to see them. You are an inspiration to me.

So for my part of Making a Happy Home Monday, I wanted to share what my hubby did for me. For Mother's Day. He truly made my home happy by purchasing for me an item that I have coveted for YEARS!

A RED KITCHEN AID MIXER!

It's name is "BAKAWA" (pronounced /bah-kuh-wah/ (I'll explain the origin of that name in a later post....Only spendidimperfections and my DH know what this stands for.)

Anyway, I don't think I need to say anything more, TBH. Just HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

For the scripture memorization, I will memorize John 1:1-5. (John 1:1 is my FAVORITE verse. WHY? Because it is saying that Jesus (the Word) was with God and was God....AND that what His role (as part of the Trinity) in creation. Powerful stuff, my friend. When I taught my kids this verse, I always followed up with, "And WHO is the Word?" and they tell me, "JESUS!"

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Now, for other stuff....

I have a notebook (household) but I don't keep it like I would like to. I always have an excuse to NOT sit an do it...it is usually because I have too much to do. Hmmmmm.....what do you think?

Exactly.

You see, I consistently run 2 days behind. I'm going crazy. I mean, I can get done what HAS to be done when it has to be done....and I am busy. Some days are busier than others. So, I guess what I know and have to work with is that I CAN get it all done, but I have to catch up and get it all done in a timely fashion. Is that it?

So, what do I do now? I haven't a clue. I mean...I'm 2 days behind...I need to start working on time now instead of 2 days ago. BUT, I can't just shut down for 2 days to get caught up, you know?

UGH! THE INSANITY!

My hubby goes canoing (is that how it is spelled? the spell-check caught it.....he is traveling by canoe) during his next amount of time off. I'm *hoping* that the next time off that my DH will be able to take the kids for 2 days and let me get caught up. No, wait....next time off, is the week of Memorial Day. I have at least 3 end of school parties to plan/attend....a 2nd grade poetry reading....awards for 2 kids....

OK, so NEXT time....hmmmm...my mother is having hip replacement surgery on the 6th. I have to take 4 kids to swimming lessons for an entire week (and only 2 of them are together so between travel and waiting for lessons I'll be "out-of-pocket" for about 3 hours that day...then have to feed the minions and do my regular stuff.

Do you see what I mean? It's not just school time that is busy for us. After my mother's surgery and the boys' swimming lessons, I will be preparing a trip to west Texas for a class reunion. we will be going to Boston in July. Two kids will be going to church camp soon after...they come back, and about 2 weeks later, we will have 3 kids going to school....(not to mention little 1-day/2-day trips to see grandparents and do important "WE ARE OUT OF SCHOOL" stuff.

Nope....I don't see getting caught up until school starts....I guess I'll just hang tight until mid-August. Then I'll have to hurry because shortly after school starts, The Great State Fair of Texas starts....and you know what that means!!! HOLIDAYS!

SO...I guess it would be prudent to go ahead and get my holiday notebook out, instead of my household notebook and work on that.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. It's Tuesday!

Well, no....not really. It's Monday night, but by the time most of you read this it WILL be Tuesday, which means that it is "TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY!"

This is a fun blog carnival hosted by my cyber-friends, Lisa and Lana. In this carnival, a lot of bloggers get together and post recipes, tips and other kitchen ideas. I hope you will join us!

For today's entry, I'm going to post a recipe for....

well, it has no name that I know of. SO, I will name it right now.

Let's call it OREO BLIZZARD PIE

ingredients:

2 packages Oreo cookies (crushed)

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (of course Blue Bell is the best)....softened

1 tub Cool Whip

roasted pecans (optional)

In a 9 x 13, put one package of crushed oreos.

In a large bowl, mix the ice cream, cool whip and 2nd package of crushed Oreo cookies. (throw in the pecans if you want).

Spread over the oreo "crust"

Freeze until ready to eat.

Then slap somebody!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all!

This blog carnival, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, is hosted by Lisa and her sister Lana. They have a lot of people link up and share tips, recipes and product reviews...anything kitchen related. It is a lot of fun. Hope y'all will join us.

I'm putting up one of my current faves....and an EASY summertime favorite.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Now before you turn away, I need you to know this is HOMEMADE Strawberry shortcake.

It is not one of those tiny, yellow cakes with a dent in the top.

I do NOT use Cool Whip.

The strawberries are fresh and free from the packaged red "goo" that is sold in the produce section.

So please read on. This is not hard AT ALL. Each step, in and of itself, doesn't take long, but you do have to plan ahead a bit.

First, you need.......

THE CAKE

Shortcake is basically a sweetened biscuit with eggs. It is not overly sweet...not as sweet as a regular cake...and a bit dense. You can drop the batter to make individual cakes or bake in a round pan like I do.

ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 375. Grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, powder and salt. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and eggs. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into flour. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; invert onto serving platter

While that is going, you may turn your attention to....

THE STRAWBERRIES

Wash some strawberries. Above, I have about 10-12 berries. The stems are removed. After washing, I sliced them. You can also quarter if you want the berries chunkier. Add about 1/2 cup or so of sugar and stir to coat. Leave them on your counter for about 1 hour or so, stirring every 15 minutes, more or less. The sugar draws out moisture, much as salt does, and will naturally glaze the fruit. It is not as thick as the gloppy goop you can get in the store, but it is a lot better.

OK...the cake is baked and the strawberries have a nice juice....time to assemble.

Uh-oh....forgot the cream.

WHIPPING CREAM

Yes, my friend. The real deal. Cool Whip should NOT be considered for several reasons...the least of which is....yuck. You are making HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE! Don't ruin it with something like Cool Whip.

Get a carton of whipping cream or heavy cream (they are the same, despite the label.)

Pour some into a bowl. (Unlike egg whites, you don't have to worry about oil residue on the bowl. If it is hot outside, I suggest you chill the bowl (glass is best) and beaters, else you will be standing there a long time...otherwise, it should take you about 2 minutes, tops.)

When you sweeten whipped cream, I suggest you use powdered sugar so your cream won't have a grainy texture. For this, though, you really need to NOT sweeten it.*

*Note...I didn't say, "You DON'T need to sweeten it."

I said, "You really NEED TO NOT sweeten it."

The berries are sweet. The cake is slightly sweet. Sweetened whipped cream is too much.

I know, I know....not everyone likes real cream...you probably don't like real butter either, but you need to get over that.....real is best. :)

OK....NOW it's time to assemble.....

I cut the cake into pie-shaped pieces. I then split the piece horizontally. (A yummy secret is to take some extra juice and let it soak into the bottom piece of cake.) Top with a few berries and small dollop of whipped cream. Top with the top half of cake, more berries and more whipped cream. This would be pretty garnished with a fresh, sliced berry (still together at the top stem) or a sprig of mint.

If you are like me, you could do without all this and just put your face into the bowl of cream....but I digress.

I sure hope you enjoy this!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. Sorry I'm late. It has been a busy, busy week. (It was busy last week, too...didn't get to post at all.)

Anyway, I'm here to put up something for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. It's a blog carnival hosted by Lisa and her sister Lana. It is a lot of fun. You can really learn a lot in recipes, kitchen tips and product reviews. I hope you will join us.

One of my favorite products is cream cheese....whip that stuff up with a bit of sugar and I can just put my face in it....but I digress.

For my recipe for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday I am going to post:

Cream Cheese Squares (I have also heard this called "Neiman Marcus Cake")

ingredients:

1 stick melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1 box yellow cake mix

~~~~~~~~~~~

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese

~~~~~~~~~~~

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine melted butter, 1 egg and cake mix. Spread mixture in buttered 9 x 13 inch pan.

Combine remaining ingredients, beat until smooth. Pour over cake mixture. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until golden.

Sprinkle with extra powdered sugar.

Then SLAP YO MOMMA!!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. My friend Lisa, and her sister Lana, co-host this cool blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." A lot of peeps post recipes, tips, product reviews, ask questions....it's a lot of fun. Click on the widget up above and it'll shoot ya on over and the you can join us!

My entry for this is.....

CHICKEN SALAD

We go from this....

TO THIS....

With just a few ingredients.

Just a heads up...this picture is NOT of my chicken salad so the ingredients you see here aren't necessarily found in my chicken salad.

CHICKEN SALAD

ingredients:

4 roasted chicken breasts (skin on, bone-in)

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup mayo (the real stuff)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

TARRAGON!!!

OK...first, you need to roast your chicken...yes, ROAST IT!

Leave the skin on....drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30-45 minutes at 350.

Remove chicken from oven to cool.

While chicken is cooling, clean and chop celery. Put into bowl.

Add 3/4 cup mayo. (no need to mix yet)

When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the skin and remove meat from the bone. (Why the skin on? The 2 main reasons...flavor and moisture!)

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces....not too big, but definitely not too small.

Put chicken into bowl with celery and mayo. Toss to coat.

Add salt, pepper and a bit of chopped FRESH tarragon. This adds a wonderful flavor to the salad.

Toss all this together.

Serve on a whole grain bread with some greens....YUM!!!!

SHOUT OUT AND A SHARE

OK...first off, I want to give a shout out to Jane4Girls!

She is a coupon queen....NO...I MEAN....THE QUEEN! Me, and some of my other coupon buds ain't got NUTHIN' on this gal. Go check her out.

Anyway, the main reason I decided to shout out to her is because she shared her own version of the pizza rolls that I did here. She uses a homemade pizza dough along with a variation of my pizza "innards."

Anyway, one thing she posted was that these freeze well. I didn't think about that. How handy! I mean, if you are going to whip these up, then make a double, or even a triple batch. I think I might do that. Some of her readers posted that they do the same thing, but with different fillings. Oh yeah....this could turn into something nice. :)

Along those lines, I was thinking of things I like to do that make my life a bit easier.....my dh and I love to have frozen breakfast burritos ready to grab and go.

BREAKFAST BURRITOS

1 pound breakfast sausage

12 eggs

green chiles

grated cheddar

flour tortillas

In a large skillet, brown 1 pound of breakfast sausage.

Drain well.

Crack all 12 eggs over the sausage. Stir around to scramble.

When eggs are done, add the green chiles and cheese. Stir around until cheese is melted.

Fill tortillas. Roll and then wrap in foil.

Microwave frozen burritos for about 1 minute.

*you can use jalapenos, potatoes, bacon, chorizo

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My friend, Lisa, and her sister Lana, co-host this fun blog carnival. Several people get together and share kitchen tips, recipes and other ideas. It's a lot of fun. I hope you will join us.

My submission is kind of a follow up for yesterday's Making a Happy Home Monday.

My kids LOVE pizza rolls. But, the ones you can buy in the freezer are garbage. I don't know what all you allow your kids to eat. Quite honestly, up until a few weeks ago, there were a lot of junk foods we would let our kids eat, but God has done a number on me. (A bit painful, to be sure....more on that another day.)

Anyway, I wanted to find a way to give my kids the "fun" foods they enjoy, but without the guilt. I don't know why I didn't think to do this before.....well, all I know is, "better late than never."

HOMEMADE PIZZA ROLLS

1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix (or 1 pkg of another crust mix....you can get these for less than $1)
1 package TURKEY pepperoni slices*
1 jar pizza sauce*
1 package mozzarella cheese*

* you will not need the entire amount

Mix crust according to package directions. While it is in its rise, chop up the pepperoni. Mix with pizza sauce and a handful of cheese. I heated for 1 minute in the microwave to make to combine a bit more.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out 2 circles per pizza roll.

In the center of a circle, place a bit of pizza topping. Using either an egg wash, or a bit of water, moisten the outside of the dough circle. Top with another circle. The moisture acts as a glue and allows you to stick the pieces of dough together.

Prick holes in the top with a fork. This will allow steam to escape and prevent the rolls from exploding in your oven.

Bake at about 425 for about 10 minutes...until golden.

These are the rolls my DS #2 helped me to make.


Ready for the oven:


Nice and golden:

YUM!

You can see they fluff up nicely. You don't have the guilt from the high fat and calories, the grease OR the money. My kids normally eat 15 of the the little frozen pizza rolls...EACH! 1 box of crust mix made 12 of these biscuit-sized pizza rolls....enough to feed all 4 of my boys.

COME BACK ON MONDAY FOR ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF "MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY!"

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, everyone. It's that time of week! It's time for Making a Happy Home Monday.

This is a blog carnival that I host....a blog in which I hope to encourage and inspire people to take on a project. Many areas of our homes need attention. Many areas of our home are neglected. They might not be areas that are seen, but still, the shape they are in affects how we feel. (Or at least it does in my case.)

For example, nobody really sees my son's closet. It is an easy "overlook." BUT, when I got it cleared out and straightened, I felt so much better.

So, please join me! Just sign up down below on Mr. Linky. Tell us some of the things you are working on. Do you have before and after pictures? I would love to see them!

No matter what you do, make your home a happy home!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My entry for this Monday is not really a "project" or item around the house that needed to be cleaned....though the subject does need cleaning often. :) No, the subject of my Making a Happy Home Monday is spending some quality time with one of my children.

That's not to say that I don't spend quality time with ALL my children, it's just that this was a bit easier to document with pictures.

My kids LOVE to help in the kitchen. They love to cook (guess they got that from me). It is sometimes hard for me to let go long enough to let them help. I get in a hurry and, quite frankly, would rather have everyone out of my way and get my stuff done. I'm a messy cook, but my mess cannot compare to the mess my boys leave. LOL!

That is something that God has been working on me about. There are several facets of this work in progress...which is me...that have been touched on in this. One is that I NEED to spend the time with the kids. It doesn't have to be outside, with a toy or a board game...it can be in doing my normal day-to-day stuff and having them help out. Another thing is that I need to learn to let go. I know I can cook....my hubby knows I can cook...I shouldn't worry about every single meal looking magazine-cover pretty. I can't worry about a little flour being spilled onto the floor.

SO, without further ado, here is my 2nd son working on pizza pockets. (I'll post the recipe on Tuesday.) I was throwing together a recipe when he happened to come in and, as usual, asked if he could help. My first inclination? (I thought this, but didn't say it out loud) No...let me just get this going. Y'all have been outside, everyone needs baths, I can get 2 of you bathed by the time these are done, we'll eat then settle down for the night.

After about 5 seconds, my response was, "Sure."

I'm so glad I did. How many times have I missed (or almost missed) a truly pleasant time with my children because of my lack of patience or perfectionist attitude. I pray that I remember every time I am asked by one of my kids, "Can I help?"

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. I'm sorry I'm late with this....I was busy today and JUST tonight got on the 'puter.

My friends, Lisa and her twin Lana, host this blog carnival. It is a lot of fun. Many people sign up and share new recipes, old favorites, share tips and ask questions...anything to do with the kitchen. I hope you will join us.

I am going to show you what I made this past weekend. I have post this recipe before.

I will post it again, but the focus is on the frosting.

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecan pieces

Sift flour and sugar into large bowl.
Bring 1 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa and water to a boil in saucepan. Pour over flour mixture; mix well. Add buttermilk, baking soda, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, eggs and salt and mix well. Pour into greased and floured 10x15-inch cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

For the frosting, bring 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla to a boil in saucepan; remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing until spreading consistency. Stir in pecans. Spread over hot cake.

Cake may be baked in 9x13 inch cake pan for 40 to 50 minutes

*****What I did this time:

I followed the recipe according to directions, but I poured the batter into a Bundt pan that had been greased and floured. I baked it for 45 minutes.

THEN.....I just eyeballed the powdered sugar in the frosting. I wanted it thick enough to set, but thin enough not to have to be spread with a knife. I poured it over and this is what I got.....

Couldn't you just put your face in that? YUM!!!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. My friend, Lisa and her twin sister Lana, host this blog carnival. It is a lot of fun. Pop on over and you can see so many recipes, kitchen tips and other fun things on this carnival. I hope you will join us.

For my contribution to this carnival, I have chosen to post on rice...PERFECT rice.

For years, I would cook rice and it would end up a bit sticky. It didn't matter what I did.

I tried so much. I tried drying out the cooked rice in the oven. I tried frying it first. I tried more time to make sure everything was soaked up. I made sure to follow the manufacturers' directions to a "T." Only now do I know that the manufacturers do not know how to fix their own product.

Nope...I found this out from my Martha. She has a wonderful new book out that gave me this lovely tip. I tried it once and the rice was PERFECT! I'll never cook rice any other way.

PERFECT RICE

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

Stir in rice and salt.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 16-18 minutes. (It takes mine 16 minutes)

Remove lid to check. You should see craters in the rice where the steam is releasing.

Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork.

It is great. It is cooked through and NOT gummy.

Hope this helps someone :)

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My cyber-friend Lisa and her twin sister Lana, host this blog carnival. It is loads of fun. MANY bloggers get together and share recipes, kitchen tips, product reviews and other fun things. There are so many great recipes out there. You might just discover a new favorite among them. Won't you join us?


For my contribution, I'm going to post a recipe for meatloaf.


Meatloaf sometimes gets a bad rap. In reality, if it is made properly, it can be tasty and can feed a large group of people. This is comfort food...wonderful with mashed potatoes, corn, and biscuits....which is exactly what we had last night. :)


Let me put out a few pointers about meatloaf.


First, you really need to add a 2nd kind of meat. It enhances the flavor and helps it not taste too dark and sit too heavily.


Second, you don't want to over mix the meatloaf mixture, as it will yield a tough meatloaf.


Third, do NOT bake while it is covered with foil. The fat will render quite quickly and cause the meat to steam. Steaming beef causes a livery flavor...and that is just wrong.


I do a different meatloaf every time, but last nights seemed to be really good...even the kids liked it.




MEATLOAF....OK...not THAT Meatloaf, but the food.


1 - 1/2 pounds ground beef. (I use 85/15 because the fat really does help the flavor)
1 pound ground pork
1 can beans (I used Bush's Grillin' Beans Steakhouse recipe...I don't like them as a side dish, they are too sweet....but they were really good in the meatloaf)
2 slices wheat bread, crusts removed
about 2 TBSP milk
1 egg, beaten
1 envelope onion soup mix
salt and pepper, too taste
minced onion (either fresh or dried)
garlic powder, to taste


First, tear bread into pieces and add the milk to it. You want the bread to be mushy.


Mash beans. They don't have to be smooth, but I did this to incorporate its own juices into the beans.


Put the 2 meats on top of beans.


Add your egg to the bread and beat the egg slightly. Pour that over the meat.


Add your seasonings, including the onion soup mix


With your hands (I know....wear a rubber glove, if you must), fold all ingredients together. You want things incorporated nicely, but don't overwork.


Put into a 9 x 13 casserole. Bake at 350 for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let it set for a bit....about 15 minutes. Juices will be drawn back up into the meatloaf. (It is not all fat that the meatloaf will redistribute, so don't worry. A lot of the fat will still remain on the edges.) After about 10 minutes, go ahead and remove the meat to a serving platter so that it doesn't continue to sit in the fat.

enjoy~

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My cyber-friend, Lisa and her sister Lana, co-host this blog carnival where a lot of people get together and post recipes, kitchen tips and other kitchen-related things. It is a lot of fun...pop on over and join us.

For this installment of Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, I made Stuffed French Toast.

It was really good...though there are a few changes I would make...SO, I will post the recipe of what I will do next time.

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

ingredients:

French bread
small cream cheese (softened)
apricot preserves (or any other flavor)
nonstick cooking spray
1 - 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp. brown sugar

In bowl, stir together cream cheese and apricot preserves. It doesn't have to be fully incorporated. Just be sure you get bits of both in each piece of toast.

Slice your French bread in thick slices. It needs to be thick enough to split in the center and stuff with the cream cheese apricot mixture. Stuff the bread.

Whisk together the milk, cinnamon, egg yolks and brown sugar. (If you use entire eggs, the toast will be a bit too moist and will tasty "egg-y.")

Put the toast in the egg mixture...only about 10-20 seconds per side.

Place toast in a HEATED griddle or skillet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Leave on one side until golden. Turn over and brown on other side. Serve with syrup.


In this picture, you can see that my bread is sliced and split and ready to stuff with my cream cheese and apricot preserves. I would use a "tighter" baguette. There was too much bread in the center...if that makes sense. I think a denser loaf would have worked better. (some of the bread was not sliced as thick as my kids wouldn't have eaten the "fancy" bread...so I did also make plain French toast.)

~~SIZZLE~~

Time to eat. I didn't have the syrup on this yet. I was really eager to tear into one for the filling. YUM!

Hope you like it :)

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Pop on over to my friend, Lisa's or Lana's, blogs. These sisters co-host a blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." It is a lot of fun. People post recipes, product reviews, tips....even ask questions. Why don't you join us?

For my entry....and in celebration....of our "cold" weather, I decided to post:

WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE

ingredients:

12 oz. white chocolate (cut up into chunks)

6 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

*whipped cream, shaved milk chocolate, peppermint sticks

Heat milk and heavy cream in a saucepan until heated thoroughly. You don't want to scorch this...do not boil.

Add white chocolate.

Stir until melted.

Add vanilla, whisk until a little foamy.

To serve, I like to put a dollop of whipped cream (NOT Cool Whip...the real stuff) in the bottom of a mug. Ladle the chocolate drink into mug. Garnish with shaved milk chocolate and a peppermint stick.