Another really great guy in MS.

This is my dear friend Jason (pictured above with his niece). I've known Jason for as long as I can remember. His family has always been very close to mine. In fact, his sister is now my sister-in-law. Go figure. Anyways, I just wanted to give him a quick shout out on Kelly's Korner Blog since she is hosting her Show Us Your Life- Singles event this weekend. I thought I'd tell you a little something about him. Jason is in his early 30's and has a successful career in Christian radio broadcasting. The most important thing I can tell you about him is that he loves the Lord. I would say he loves the Lord, his family and friends, and MS State athletics...in that order. He has been a sports genius since he was a little boy. He works very close with the MSU Athletic Dept. and will actually be announcing (is that the correct term?) the Lady Bulldogs' games in their upcoming season. Now, don't let all this "sports" talk fool you. He's so much more than a one track kind of person. He also happens to be one of the funniest people I know. He and I keep each other in stitches when we are together. He is particularly close to my sister, her husband, and their kids. My nieces and nephews love him to death. Jason always goes out of his way to take time with them and make them feel important. His own nieces and nephews could attest to that as well.

He is such a great guy and I would love, love, love to see him meet that special someone that God has planned just for him. I know he would be embarrassed at all the bragging that I'm doing on him, but I honestly can say that none of it is an exaggeration. If you are in his age bracket and have the same interests, particularly if you love the SEC, then I think Jason would be a super guy to consider getting to know a little better. Feel free to leave me a comment! Hope y'all have a great weekend!

A Really Great Guy In MS.

    Today I'm linking up with Kelly from Kellys Korner Blog She's conducting her yearly Show Us Your Singles event and I have someone to show off. His name is Larry and he's 52 (a very young 52 might I add). First and foremost, Larry loves the Lord and works with a ministry that focuses on ministering to hurting young people. He is an all around outdoorsman. He enjoys camping, hunting/fishing, hiking, tennis, and golf. He especially loves the mountains of North Carolina. Larry is definitely a people person and enjoys helping others. Oh, and kids love him too. He's a dearly loved uncle to 5 nieces and nephews and droves of "adopted" nieces and nephews as well. All of his friends describe him as a very good friend to have and whoever ends up winning his affection will be a very blessed lady.

A New Year, A Birthday, & A Broken Oven.

     Oh wow. I can't believe I've let myself get this behind on here. I feel like it's been ages since I last sat down to write anything. Let me catch you up on what's been going on around here since Christmas. First of all, I can't begin to tell you how wonderful Christmas was for me. I can't name anything extraordinary that I did, but I just know that I thoroughly enjoyed having all my kids home and being able to just spend time together as a family. My husband took the last two weeks of December and the first week of January off and spent the majority of that time in a deer stand. He also enjoys "running dogs" and my son made practically every step he made during those three weeks. The girls and I spent a nice, long day shopping with my Mom, sisters, niece, and cousins the Monday after Christmas. We found a lot of good deals and my oldest discovered the Ulta Store (mama mia!). A highlight of the day was taking the girls to the cutest self-serve yogurt shop and sampling everyone's yogurt creations.
     I'm so thankful my Aunt Nae was down visiting for the holidays too. She came over one day (out of the blue) and announced that she was going to help me get all my Christmas decorations put away. And, she did just that. She also helped my older children straighten up their rooms. She also cleaned the dust off my baseboards in the living room. Then, she went outside and helped us get rid of all those leaves that had fallen over the last two months. Hello? I couldn't believe what we managed to get accomplished in the seven hours she was here. I just kept telling her over and over, "I'd probably still be in my robe right now if you hadn't of showed up.". She laughed because she knew it was the truth.
     I was able to invite some dear friends over for New Year's Eve. Three of my friends that I started first grade with and their families. We ate lasagna, salad, french bread, jalapeno popper dip, chex mix, and brownie trifle and drank lots of sweet tea and Sprite. The food was pretty good, but oh how I enjoyed the company the most. We laughed about school memories we had and tried to catch up on fellow classmates that we had contact with. We talked about the Lord and how we were all incredibly thankful to serve such an awesome God. Some of us come from different denominational backgrounds and that's ok. We can all agree on the fundamentals of Christianity and that we are all part of the body of Christ. It was such good time of fellowship and I hope we can do it again and invite more classmates to join us.
     Last week, we had the unthinkable happen. Haha! We had a little snowstorm blow through our neck of the woods. It was mostly ice mixed with snow, but we made the most of it. The kids missed two days of school and I ate chili for about 72 hours straight (and chex mix!). My son and I share the same birthday and we got to celebrate our birthday on one of those snow days. That's him in the above picture. Isn't he a sweetie? He probably wouldn't appreciate me calling him that, but he doesn't read this blog anyway. I can't believe I'm inching closer to the big 40 with each passing year. Yikes! Well, I'm really good at not thinking about things like that, so I'm just going to push that thought to the back of my mind for now.
    Lastly, I've been kind of depressed about my oven that's been broken since Dec. 1. We had a pretty nasty thunderstorm move through our area the day before and I believe lightening came in on it. At any rate, it was very inconvenient not to have an oven during the time of the year when I do my most serious cooking and baking. I had to haul all my goods to different family members' homes to cook. And guess what? I'm still having to do it. I've had the repairman out 4 times and each time he leaves he tells me, "Well, I'm going to have to order another part and you know ma'am the part will probably be on backorder.". He's fastly becoming one of my least favorite people. Okay, I know I shouldn't blame him and take my frustrations out on him (and I don't...to his face). If I couldn't release this pent up frustration on him, then the next logical person would be my husband. Poor thing. Haha! I'm going to try to behave myself and be kind to everyone. Plus, a broken oven is so petty and just a glitch in the road. I have so much to be thankful for and there are so many people worse off than me that I'm going to try not to mention that silly oven again. I hope I've not bored you to tears, but there was so much to catch up on. I plan to have some new recipes up very soon. Have a great day!
  

A Christmas Wish.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope this weekend is full of love, laughs, and great food for all of you. I kicked off Christmas Eve with brunch with my Dad and 3 girls. We had the best time too. I don't know how we got off on this, but Dad ended up taking the heights of all the girls. Guess what? My oldest is now officially one inch taller than me. That thoroughly depressed me and I ended up going back for one more biscuit.....Tonight we will celebrate with K's family. My MIL will cook her fanny off all day in preparation for it too. I'm planning on taking oven roasted potato wedges sprinkled with sea salt, cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, and of course crumbled bacon. I'll serve them with a sour cream dipping sauce. I've also got my favorite hot jalapeno popper dip (recipe here) that I'll be bringing. Tomorrow will start off with my kids seeing what Santa left them under the tree and we will have our family gift exchange. I'm making a breakfast sausage casserole (recipe to come) for breakfast then. My parent's will stop by to see the kids' gifts and then dash home to prepare for my Mom's side of the family who will join us for lunch at my Parents' house. My Aunt P brings an icebox fruitcake that is to die for and her famous cheese ball.  My sis-in-law, J, will bring Chex Mix that I will eat on for the rest of the day. I'm making green beans cooked with caramelized onions and bacon in a sweet vinegar sauce for our lunch buffet. We'll play a spirited game of Dirty Santa with that crew and they'll be off. Then, my Parents and siblings along with all of our kids will have our family Christmas. My Dad will kick it off with reading Luke's account of Jesus' birth. We will talk about the wonderful gift that God gave us when He sent His Son to earth on that blessed day. We will talk about all the things that we have to be thankful for and give God thanks for all His blessings. Next, we'll open our presents. Finally, we'll end the night eating leftovers from lunch and popping in a funny movie for the whole family to enjoy. I'm painting a really pretty picture here, but we are an ordinary family who doesn't always feel the love towards each other on a 365 day a year basis. We get into scuffs. We sometimes "exchange words", especially me and my sisters. However, we love each other and we always get over it. Whatever "it" was. *Just keeping it real.* It's wonderful to spend Christmas with our loved ones. It's also wonderful to share that love with others who may not have family to spend it with. Christmas is about Christ. It's about giving of ourselves. Serving others. Spreading God's love. Praying for people that we know are hurting. Asking God to show us what He would have us to do to glorify His name. Being willing to do what He commands us to do. To God be the Glory forever and ever! And believe me, He will get the glory He deserves whether we believe in Him or not. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him Lord and Savior....one day. Merry Christmas Y'all!

A Christmas Cookie Recipe.

I've been on a Barefoot Contessa kick lately. I have a lot of her shows recorded and one afternoon last week all I did was watch Ina work her magic in the kitchen. One of the shows was right up my alley. She was entertaining a large group and gave ideas for a fairly simple menu. She served a huge pot of Lobster Corn Chowder, a fruit & cheese tray, a big Marmalade Glazed Ham, a simple green salad, and Dried Fruit Cookies. I thought to myself, "I can totally do that!". I don't have the funds to go around throwing lobster into my soup, but I can certainly handle a simple chicken corn chowder. I'm planning a little get together at my house after Christmas for a small group of friends and this is going to be my menu (provided all the recipes turn out as good as they look on tv).

 Of course, I tested the dessert recipe first. Winner! These Dried Fruit Cookies (recipe here) are really good. I had to make a few adjustments, like leaving out the nuts because I have a child with a nut allergy and I also left out the raisins (simply because I've just never liked them). Other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe as outlined. I like these because they are not overly sweet and a have a spice quality to them (because of the ground cloves, which I only used 1/2 of what the recipe called for). I can't wait to sit down with a nice cup of coffee and eat these. My kids weren't too crazy about them because they were under the impression that they had chocolate chips in them (a good guess considering I was the one baking them). They remind me so much of Christmas partly because they resemble little fruitcakes. I hope you get a chance to try these soon. I think you will find that you will reach for them every time the cookie jar is opened. Which reminds me...I've got to get rid of that thing before I begin the new year with an extra twenty pounds. Enjoy!

A Christmas Tour of Homes.

This morning I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs. I haven't got to do that in a while and I've really missed some good recipes and decorating tips along the way. One site I like is www.thenester.com. She has my kind of taste and often has good tips along the way. She had a recent post here and it was called a link party for a tour of Christmas homes. Anyone who has a blog could submit a photo of a decorated space in their home. I really enjoyed clicking on all the different pictures and it took me straight to the person's blog who submitted it. I found so many good ideas on there. The above picture is from one of the links, it was taken from the lettered cottage. She has a beautiful home and I really thought this was a simple, yet elegant and inviting way to decorate this space. I hope you can find time to take the tour of homes and see all the beautiful things for yourself. In the meantime, I'm busy getting Christmas cards ready to be mailed and still have some gifts to wrap. However, I'm so thankful to the One who truly deserves the glory and praise. Thank you Jesus for giving us this special season to remind us of the awesome gift you gave us when you came to Earth as a precious baby boy to ultimately give yourself up on a cross to pardon our sins. HE is the best gift...ever. Merry CHRISTmas!

A Chocolate Christmas Treat.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I've had the best time surfing the web and finding wonderful treats to compliment this Christmas season. I used to get a candy cane in my stocking every year when I was growing up. I wonder if that's why my favorite shower gel fragrance for this time of the year is candy cane? Okay, let's get down to business. How do you like the looks of the little treat pictured above? I bet it's cold (like straight of the fridge cold) and slightly hard on the top, but as your teeth sink in it becomes a silky, creamy, chocolatey party in your mouth. I'm sort of an expert on this subject. Okay? Let's just say, it took years of practice. I found this recipe on the food network website and it had a 5 star rating from all who had made it. You can find a printable recipe for this chocolate peppermint cheesecake here. I will tell you that I haven't personally tried it yet, but it's on my "to do" list before the month is out. I hope you enjoy it!

A Little Break.

     Can it really be that I haven't posted in two whole weeks? Umm....yes. Do I have an excuse for my laziness? Umm...no. Well, other than the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed my Thanksgiving hiatus with family and friends. I also shopped till I dropped. I also ate like there was no tomorrow. Now that I'm done destroying my financial future and adding about ten points to my total cholesterol, I believe it's time to get back to business. Okay, I'm just kidding. I do have most of my shopping done and I am sticking to my budget as planned. As far as overeating goes, there wasn't too much of that either. My family had a really strange stomach bug hit us last week. It wasn't severe and lasted only a few hours, but it left most of us with hardly any appetite for the rest of the week. Let's face it, sometimes blessings come in disguise.
      I am excited as I can be about this next month. There will be many special things to see and do. I am most grateful for the ultimate Christmas gift that was given to us in the form a sweet baby boy so many years ago. He was and is and will always be the most perfect gift from above. Last Sunday, my pastor brought up the idea of how ridiculous it would be to show up to someone else's birthday party and expect all the presents to be given to you. He pointed out that we so often do that to Jesus on His birthday. One of our precious children replied, "Well Brother Alex, that's just how Christmas works.".  Out of the mouths of babes.... I, too, like the special traditions of Christmas such as gift giving, family gatherings, and beautiful decorations. I just want to be sure that all the glory goes to the One who truly deserves it. I want to be sure that I am living out the directions that He gave me in His Word. I want to give up the selfish desires that I have and look for ways to give to others, especially those in need. I want my children to get to experience that for themselves as well. We are currently thinking about a family project that we can do to raise money for a mission program. How about you? We've all been given talents and abilities, let's use what God gave us to glorify Him.
     I am so looking forward to sharing some fun and interesting things that I have found to help make this season a little merrier and bright. I hope that you won't do like me and just kind of take a break from life over the next few weeks. Yes, I hope your holiday is relaxing and rejuvenating for you. I hope you get to enjoy the blessings that will be sure to abound. I just want us all to remember the true reason for the season and pray about what God would have us to do to minister to others and spread His love around.  Merry CHRISTmas!

A Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice Dish.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. I mean it too. I adore the time immediately before Thanksgiving. Just knowing that I'm going to spend time with my family and that my kitchen is going to be full of wonderful scents makes me happy. This year I'm getting my kids involved in the process. I want each of them to have a contribution to the Thanksgiving meal. I've also decided that I don't want to spend ALL my time in the kitchen. So, I've got a plan to help myself enjoy the festivities. I've bought up hot chocolate and apple cider mixes that can prepared in a jiffy. I'm keeping bars of cream cheese and boxes of Wheat Thins on hand. I like to throw pepper jelly on top of the cream cheese and serve it with the Wheat crackers. Really good.....really, really easy. I've also got myself stocked up on brownie mixes. And finally, I'm utilizing my slow cooker as much as I ever have. It's so nice to get things going early in the day, be able to clean up the mess, leave, and walk back in to delicious smells and a ready to serve meal. I always have a lettuce mix in the fridge with an assortment of dressings and some kind of bread that can be served alongside this sort of meal. It's a no brainer (for those of us who really need to not to have to think). Cheesy chicken and rice is a family favorite. It really couldn't be simpler either. Let me give you the recipe for this Comfort 101 dish: 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 large onion (chopped), 1 (8 oz) box Zatarain's Yellow Rice mix (cooked according to the directions), 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup, and 1 (15 oz) can whole kernal corn (drained). Begin by placing chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Scatter chopped onions on top. Spread cream soup over that.  Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine and serve hot. Now just for something a little different, I use a can of Mexicorn because I like the bright red and green colors that it adds to the dish. I got this recipe & photo from Christy at southernplate.com. Christy was recently feature in Southern Living magazine. She's got many, many, many wonderful southern style recipes on her site. There is a printable version of the above recipe on there too. I hope you will let your slow cooker do some of your cooking for you over the next few weeks. I like to think of it as my own personal chef.....as in the kind I can actually afford. Enjoy!

A Jewelry Party.

Jewelry. *sigh* I don't know very many women who aren't content to look at and try on jewelry. A good pair of earrings can make your face look thinner. A necklace can totally change the look of an outfit. And a blingy ring hardly ever goes unnoticed. We women love our jewelry. Today I'm giving you the link to one of my faves, tonyabarlow.com. I've been wearing her jewelry for quite sometime now. It's good quality and it gets noticed. She's got silver, wood, acrylic, shell, etc... One of my favorite pairs of earrings (of all time) are her creation. They are large silver hoops that have a round, monogrammed disc that hang from them. People always ask me about them. I also have some of her wood jewelry pieces that people notice too. Ok...I've got pretty much one of everything she sells. Even the personalized picture frame. It's all good. The pieces are unique, affordable, and really pretty. Her Christmas event is going on today and tomorrow and you can save 10% by using the code save10 at the checkout, plus check out other items that have already been marked down. Go on over to her site and start working on that Christmas list of yours. Happy shopping!

A Caramel Apple Salad.

I don't often give salad recipes. Why is that? Hmm...don't try to analyze me because I can tell you it won't do you any good. I'm complicated. Aren't we all? I am going to make an honest effort to put healthier fare on this blog, if it kills me....Haha! Today's recipe is kind of a poke at that because it's Caramel Apple Salad and it's got Snickers in it. And it's really good and really easy. Snickers + Good + Easy = Winning Recipe! I got the recipe and photo from Bridget at bakeat350.blogspot.com. This is a darling baking website. Be sure and check it out. So without delay, I will give the short list of ingredients (only 5) that you will need to make this: 12 Fun Size or 6 Large Snicker Bars, 1 (3.4 oz.) Pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix, 1 Cup Milk, 1 (8 oz) Cool Whip, and 6-8 Granny Smith Apples. Begin by cutting Snickers into bite size pieces. Set aside. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Cut apples into chunks and stir into the pudding mixture. Fold in the chopped up Snicker Bars. Top the salad with thinly sliced Snicker pieces so everyone knows that it's a dessert salad. Watch everyone's faces light up with delight when they discover the "salad" option. I like this salad because it's both sweet and tart and there is a good balance of both tastes. I hope you can try it soon. Enjoy!

A Bisquick Cornbread.

So, wow...I can't believe I'm giving you a recipe for cornbread that involves bisquick. You see, me and cornbread, well we go way back. It was kind of a staple in my house growing up. My Dad liked vegetables and cornbread for supper and so that's what we had. My Grandparents liked to crumble cornbread in a glass and pour buttermilk over it and eat it that way. In fact, that's what they had for supper a lot of nights. Now my Dad likes "milk and bread" too. We all eventually turn into our parents. You know that right?  Another reason this cornbread is not something I would normally like is because it's not cooked in a black, cast iron skillet. Any Southern girl worth her weight owns at least one cast iron skillet. Now, I tell you this cornbread is moist, slightly sweet, and mouth-watering good. It's easy too. I think you will be very happy with the result if you try this. I got the photo and recipe from a really cute blog called thepearsonfamilee.blogspot.com. Lisa is the lady behind the website and she named this Scott's Bisquick Cornbread because her husband, Scott, cooked it for her. Sweet. If Mr. K would cook for me, I would name all my dishes after him too. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he would not find that an appealing enough offer to actually do it. Anyway, back to the cornbread....make it soon. Serve it alongside a big bowl of piping hot soup. Here's the recipe: 2 Cups Bisquick, 6 T. cornmeal, 1/2 Cup Sugar, 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Butter (Melted), and 1 Cup Milk. Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix Bisquick and cornmeal together. Set aside. Add milk and eggs to melted butter (make sure it's slightly cooled) and stir together. Pour milk mixture into Bisquick mixture and stir together. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes or until golden brown. If you want a variation, then you can substitute buttermilk in the place of regular milk. If you want more of a Mexican cornbread, then throw in 1 jalapeno (diced), 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, and 3 green onions (thinly sliced). Enjoy!

A Different Green Bean Casserole

  I was catching up on a few of my favorite blogs this morning and came across some good recipes. Today's Green Bean Casserole is one of them. I am already a fan of the traditional one, but was getting a little bored with it after all these years. The Pioneer Woman solved that dilemma. Her updated version is spot on in the flavor department and I love the difference the Panko bread crumb topping makes. Even my local Wal-Mart carries Panko bread crumbs now. Yay! Now if you couldn't possibly imagine the casserole with any other topping than the crispy onion rings, then go for it. No big deal. This recipe and photo is courtesy of thepioneerwomancooks.com. You can go there today and scroll down and see a step by step guide to preparing this and get a printable form of the recipe. *One day I'm going to figure out how to make printable versions myself. * Here's the recipe: 2 lbs. Fresh Green Beans (ends cut off). 4 slices Bacon (cut into 1/4 inch pieces), 3 Garlic Cloves (minced), 1/2 Large Onion (chopped), 4 T. Butter, 4 T. All-Purpose Flour, 2 1/2 Cups Milk, 1/2 Cup Half-and-Half, 1 1/2 t. Salt, Freshly Ground Pepper (to taste), 1/8 t. Cayenne Pepper, 1 Cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1 (4 ounce) jar Sliced Pimentoes (drained), Extra Milk for thinning if Necessary, and 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs. Begin by cutting green beans in half. Blanch the green beans by dropping them into lightly salted boiling water and allow them to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they're cool and set aside. Next, add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown . Remove from heat and set aside. Next, In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half-and-half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat. Finally, add pimentos to pan, then add bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into baking dish and top with panko crumbs. Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden. This should serve approximately 8 people. Enjoy!

A Home Project: Next On My List

I have mixed feelings about the internet. I think it can be, and often is, used as a tool to do great things. I have been so blessed by so many people that I'm friends with on facebook, for example. I also enjoy learning all manner of recipes and craft ideas through it and find myself inspired in ways that I don't believe I could be without this technology. We can all agree that it can be used in many destructive ways as well. And I don't think I have to spell them out. As a lesser evil,  I have to fight the urge to not let it consume my time and energies as I am checking out many wonderful sites and getting lots of fantastic ideas that can apply to all areas of my life. Don't get me wrong, I believe the internet will spread the Good News of Christ's love for us in an unprecedented way.. That I love. I just felt the need to write that today as I'm getting ready to show you a little project that I found on a website the other day. I have really enjoyed getting decorating tips from Melissa on her site, theinspiredroom.net. She is so talented in this area and I think her house is beautiful. She had a guest post the other day from Holly of hollymathisinteriors.com and it was the numbered stairs pictured above (photo courtesy of Holly Mathis). Now the numbers can be purchased from Melissa at shopopensky.com/theinspiredroom. I believe this idea may have been featured in the Pottery Barn catalog at some point too. I have stairs in my home and I have been thinking that they could really use a little something to give them a pop. I think this idea is adorable and adds just the right amount of interest to the total look. I'm planning on doing this soon. Hopefully, before the end of the month (providing the Hubby won't mind). I would definitely encourage you to check out the above websites mentioned too. They are jam packed with all sorts of great ideas and tips. I thought this was the perfect post to leave you with on this gorgeous Friday. I hope you all have a great weekend. Go out and support your local football team tonight. The end of the regular season is coming to a close and I know the boys would love to have you cheering them on. In the meantime, Happy Fall Y'all!

A Frequent Request: Oven Ham Sammies.

Do you have a recipe that people seem to request a lot? For me, it's usually the simple ones that I get the most requests for. Oh wait, I only make simple recipes...maybe that's why. Anyway, this oven ham sandwich is one that we've been making in our family for a long time. My Mom introduced these to me years ago and I've not looked back since. I take these to all sorts of occasions and I tell you, I could count on one hand the number of times I've had leftovers. They disappear quick. This recipe is slightly different than the one I've been making for so long, but it's got all the same components just assembled differently. I got the recipe and photo from dishanddine.net. You really must make these for the loved ones in your life. It's getting close to Christmas you know. People are soon going to be shopping for gifts for you. Leave a good impression on them. Haha. I'm just joking. I would never use food to persuade people to do me favors. Never. Well...never is a strong word. Here's the recipe for these fabulous sandwiches: 1 (12 count) package Kings Hawaiian Rolls, 1/2 cup Butter (melted), 1/2 t. Ground Mustard, 1 t. Poppy Seeds, 2 t. Onion Flakes, 1 t. Worcheshire Sauce, 1 Package Sliced Swiss Cheese, and 12 -16 ounces Thin Sliced Ham.  Put ham and cheese on sliced rolls. Mix all other ingredients together and spoon over sammies. Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes. Sooo good. I'm not kidding. The way I have always prepared them is to slather the melted ingredients on the inside of the roll with the ham and cheese and bake them wrapped tightly in tin foil. I really like the looks of these and have decided to make mine like this from now on. The only thing to make sure of, is that you have a good friend close by to tell you if you have poppy seeds stuck in your teeth. You know your husband won't notice. Funny story, we were at a family reunion on my husband's side a few years back. I had been eating some chicken casserole and was just visiting away with his relatives. My husband was sitting right across from me the whole time. My 10 year old nephew (at the time) runs by and then turns back around and says "Aunt Tracie, you got a big piece of chicken stuck in your teeth.". I thanked him and then cut my eyes over at my husband and shot him the "I can't believe you didn't notice that!" look.  He gives me the "Am I supposed to notice EVERY little detail?" look and shrugs his shoulders.* Don't you love it when husbands and wives have conversations with their eyes?*  No, Honey, of course not. A piece of chicken dangling out of my mouth is, however, on the list of must notice details. Haha! Thank goodness I was already established in the family or else they might have thought twice about letting me in. Forgive me for digressing.  This is an excellent recipe and super easy. I hope you enjoy it! 

A Side Dish for Thanksgiving.

November is in full swing and the time has come to begin thinking about our Thanksgiving menus. As for me, my family does something a little different on the fourth Thursday of every November. We have a family reunion. There's no traditional formal, sit down meal for us that day. It's been this way my whole life. And....I wouldn't have it any other way. I look forward to seeing my big family that day. I enjoy catching up with cousins that live hours away. I love eating the wonderful food that everyone brings. Let me tell you, cooking is one thing my family is known for. The buffet goes on and on and on. I always feel so bad at how full my plate looks when I finally get through the line. It's just that there's so much that I want to taste. Spoonfuls add up quick in that kind of environment. So that brings me back to the recipe for this post. I finished up a Bible study recently and our women's group met yesterday for a potluck lunch. I was browsing through some of my favorite food sites to get an idea of what to take and came across Scalloped Sweet Potatoes from tastykitchen.com. This site is also where the above photo came from.  And I thought that nothing screams Thanksgiving any more than sweet potatoes (well..except turkey). What I liked about this one was that it was more on the savory side. I really "dig" a sweet potato casserole topped with brown sugar, butter, and pecans as well as anybody, but sometimes it's nice to change things up. Here's the recipe: 2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes, 4 Strips Bacon, 1 Whole Onion (chopped), 2 1/2 T. All-Purpose Flour, 1/2 t. Salt, 1/4 t. Black Pepper, 2 Cups Reduced Fat Milk, and 1 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese ( I used an italian blend). Preheat oven to 325˚ F. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and set aside. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel, crumble, and set aside. Add chopped onion to bacon drippings and cook until tender. Stir in flour over low heat and cook to a paste. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in milk and cook until mixture thickens slightly. Arrange half of the sweet potatoes in the bottom of a greased 11x7 inch baking dish (I also took the opportunity to throw a dash of salt and pepper over the potatoes at this point too).  Sprinkle on half of the crumbled bacon. Pour on half of the milk mixture. Arrange remaining potatoes, sprinkle with remaining bacon, and pour the rest of the milk mixture on top. Cover with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If desired, brown cheese for 1-2 minutes under the broiler. This turned out to be a really delicious side dish. You can get a printable version of this recipe from tastykitchen.com if you'd like. Enjoy!

A Hot Jalapeno Popper Dip.

Last Saturday, one of my sisters hosted a get together for the kids in the family and some close friends as well. She had it set up really cute and there was apple bobbing, a football toss, a pumpkin pinata, etc... We had hotdogs and chips, orange Kool-Aid, and Halloween cupcakes. It was around 4 in the afternoon and the weather was perfect. I tell you this because later that night when the hubs and I made a little trip to Wal-Mart we were both a little hungry (this was like 5 hours later). We thought it was too late to eat anything heavy so we decided to drive thru Sonic and get a little snack. He got a hamburger (I didn't call that a snack) and I got jalapeno poppers. They hit the spot too. Mine were filled with cheddar cheese, but my favorite have cream cheese on the inside. This morning I was searching for an appetizer to take to another tailgate and came across this one for Hot Jalapeno Dip. It was just what I was looking for and now I can't wait to make this Friday night. I got it off of tastykitchen.com as well as the above photo. This is an excellent site to find a variety of recipes and you can join it and submit your own. This recipe was rated 5 oven mitts which is the highest rating a recipe can get on that site. Isn't that cute? Oven mitts....I bought all the ingredients today. Here's the list so you can get yours too. Ingredients: 2 (8 oz.) Pkgs. Cream Cheese softened, 1/2 cups sour cream, 1/2 cups mayo, 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles drained, 5 whole jalapenos (seeded and diced), 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I bough an italian blend because sometimes parmesan is a little too pungent), and 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs. Begin by heating the oven to 400˚ F. Stir together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles and jalapenos. Pour mixture into an oven safe serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and panko crumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then put under broiler for 1-3 minutes to lightly brown on the top. Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers, or crusty bread. This should easily serve 8 people. Doesn't it look fabulous? I may have to test it tonight just to make sure it's going to be ok to serve to the general public this weekend. I always want to do my part. Haha! Enjoy!

A Lighter Loaded Potato Soup.

Today is Halloween which means tomorrow kicks off the start of the Thanksgiving season. This is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. The anticipation of seeing family members that live far away, decorating the house, cooking (& eating) wonderful food, hearing the fireplace crackle, filling my home with the scents of the season, and pulling warm sweaters and boots out of storage to wear....not to mention the sounds of Christmas music that will soon penetrate the house. I love it! A few years ago, I invited some friends and family over the day before Thanksgiving. I fixed a huge pot of potato soup, mini mexican corn muffins, and my favorite salad (recipe in September archives). It was really very simple to put together. We did it at lunch so the kids were free to run and play outside and the adults stayed inside and visited. I had a chocolate pound cake for dessert, but hardly anyone wanted it because the soup was so hearty and filling. It was just a wonderful time and really kicked the Holiday season off for me. I hope to do something very similar this year. The fact is, you can't go wrong with potato soup. It's a proven crowd pleaser. Today I'm giving you a recipe for a lower fat version of the soup I made. It is just as good and filling with the added health benefit.  I recently read a book called The Reluctant Entertainer (I bought off of Amazon.com). Sandy, the author, gives some great ideas to take the fear out of entertaining. Plus, she's got a wonderful website called reluctantentertainer.com. I hope you can plan to do something like this over the course of this month, even if it is just inviting your next door neighbor over. Practice hospitality. It's a dying art in our culture today. Make your company feel wanted and welcomed. That's all that really counts. Your house doesn't have to be perfect. You don't have to have a culinary degree. Just be yourself and let your guests know they are important to you. Isn't that the purpose of having people over? Okay, enough of that. Here's the recipe for Lighter Potato Soup adapted from Cooking Light October 2010. I got the photo and adapted recipe from Tessa at handletheheat.com. This recipe serves four. However, it can be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled to accommodate your group, but cook the potatoes as outlined in batches of 4 so that they will be properly done. You will need 4 (6 ounce) red potatoes, 2 t. olive oil, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, 3 T. all-purpose flour, 2 cups 1% low-fat milk (divided), 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. black pepper, 3 bacon slices (fried & crumbled), 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and 4 t. thinly sliced green onions. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high for 13 mins. or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute′ 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cups milk and add to broth and onion mixture. Then add in remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often, being careful to not let the milk boil over. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper. Scoop potato in soup and discard skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup using a potato masher. It's important to taste it at this point. It may need more salt. Under seasoning is probably one of the biggest mistakes made when cooking. Potatoes are about as bland as you can get. They need salt. Make sure it's seasoned to your liking, but don't go overboard. Remember your toppings (like the bacon and cheese) will add a little salt too.  Ladle soup into four bowls and top with cheese, green onions, and bacon. You can even put various toppings out in bowls and let your guests decide how they want to garnish their soup. This is a good one to serve on a cold day. After all, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Right? Let's start acting like it and spread some of our blessings around.

A Peak at What I'm Giving as Christmas Gifts.

It's that time of year again. Halloween is approaching at the speed of light and then you know the rest of the story. Christmas will be here... like... tomorrow. Seriously, there's less than 2 months to go till the big day. I, for one, am asking myself "Where did 2010 go?". Wasn't I just cooking black eyed peas for our New Year's Day meal? Yes, time is rocking on by. This year I'm going to make a conscious effort to get all the hustle and bustle out of the way in November so that I can concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas during the month of December. You want to hear something sick? My sister gets all of her Christmas shopping done in January. She hits all the after Christmas sales with list in hand and wipes everyone off her list. And yes, she has already purchased my 2011 and 2012 birthday presents. No kidding. So, enough of that silly talk. Let me tell you what I've decided a few ladies on my list will be getting from me.

A "Smart" Lunch.

Today I am going to share with you what I have for lunch like 4 days out of the week. My beloved Smart Ones mini pepperoni pizzas. Smart Ones is a trademark company for Weight Watchers. All of the Smart Ones products list WW points on them.  Here's a few reasons why I like this particular product. First of all, I am a big advocate of Weight Watchers. I think it is one of the most sensible approaches out there to losing weight and promoting healthier lifestyles. I am an online member right now and am enjoying some success through that venue. Second, I don't normally like frozen meals like this, especially those prepared in the microwave. They are usually not very appealing to me and what the microwave does to the texture of pizza is...well...a crime. I had not found a frozen pizza that I really cared for until now. I bake these in my oven and they come out perfect. Crispy, yet slightly chewy. I have a pan that kind of looks like a pizza pan except that it's square. It's got little holes in the bottom and allows for these pizzas to really crisp up (also chicken nuggets and french fries bake up wonderfully in this way). Finally, this is very affordable. A box costs $2.50 at Wal-Mart and you get 2 servings per box. I'm no math expert, but that comes out to $1.25 per meal. There are four mini pizzas per serving and it's really enough for me for lunch. Occasionally, I'll add a salad or green beans, but usually I just enjoy my four little pizzas. My little sidekick, EC, loves these as well. It's just simple, good, and healthy. Now don't go out to Wal-Mart and buy every last one of them. What would I do for lunch? Haha! Enjoy!