Month: November 2010

My middle daughter El has never eaten chocolate pudding because all of the boxed ones at the grocery store have dye in them and she is deathly allergic. AHH, How I HATE RED DYE! I mean in all honesty, do we really need to have everything the “perfect” color or at least the perfect color that the consumer assumes that…

Every year for the last… well more than I can count on 2 hands, my dad has packed up and sent boxes to local boys overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. We all work together, writing letters, purchasing goodies (although my dad does 98% of this). We also take time to make Christmas trees during the holidays. These soldiers are away…

It’s that time of the year again. I LOVE baking pies and desserts for my family. This was a NEW recipe this year that I created from some of our canned harvest from the fall (except for the cranberries that I bought too much of for another dessert – Cranberry FOOL) and it is has less than a cup of…

Cranberry Fool This is a FANTASTIC dessert that my mom used to make every New Year’s when I was a little girl… Made it today and it was SO YUMMY!!!! (I bet it would work with Splenda too) 1 pound (4 cups) fresh cranberries 2 oranges 2 cups sugar 1 pint whipping cream 1 tsp. almond extract Wash the cranberries…

This is seriously ADDICTIVE!!  And we have had to make 2 batches already because it keeps disappearing! Buffalo Chex® Mix 4 cups Rice Chex® cereal 4 cups Corn Chex® cereal 4 cups Wheat Chex® cereal 2 cups Parmesan-flavored tiny fish-shaped crackers 2 cups pretzel grids 2 cups peanuts 1-1/2 sticks butter 6 tablespoons hot sauce 2 packets ranch dressing mix 2…

This is such a FUN and EASY Thanksgiving project. You need construction paper – brown, orange, red and yellow, glue sticks, a pencil, a black marker and a pair of scissors. Trace your hand one time on each of the red, yellow and orange papers and cut them out. Cut a oval out of the brown paper. Cut a triangle…

My sister is AMAZING and gave me this potato soup recipe years ago. It was handwritten on lined paper. Last week in a FRANTIC search, we couldn’t find my favorite potato soup recipe… I called up Jen and asked her if she would send me another copy. She couldn’t find her’s either but did email a quick semi-recipe. ( I…

It’s that time of the year again so I am revisiting my pumpkin bread recipe – This one is for only 2 loaves rather than 4 like the one that I posted last year. 🙂 Here is the original recipe on my blog. Pumpkin Bread 3 cups Sugar (yes, you can use Splenda) 1 cup Oil 4 Eggs 3-1/3 c …

November to me represents everything that I am thankful for. The leaves are changing colors, fall is HERE! Time to start baking, and using those apple sauces and canned foods that we worked so hard to create over the summer. I love pumpkin and cranberries with a touch of cloves and cinnamon. This year, I am thankful that we are…

Smokey White Bean and Ham Soup 1 1/2 tbsp canola oil 1 yellow onion, diced 1 carrot, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 sprig rosemary 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 lb dried small white beans, rinsed and picked through 1 lb ham steak, fat…

Looking for some fun fall activities for the kids? This is a FUN and EASY project, These look fabulous in your windows for fall. What you need: crayons wax paper (2 equal sizes sheets) leaves butter knife or crayon sharpener 2 cloth diapers or old kitchen towels iron Take your first piece of paper (some are wax on 2 sides,…

I always LOVE getting “different” fruits and veggies from the Bountiful Basket. Last week, besides the bulk green beans, we also received persimmons. I haven’t had persimmons since I was a kid. They are such a beautiful color. I pulled up some information online and it stated that anytime that you use pumpkins, you can substitute persimmons in the recipe…