MENU PLAN MONDAY Revisiting Some Delicious Dishes

   

I won't be cooking this week, so I thought I would offer up some suggestions from previous posts for you to consider.

Monday: Applewood Smoked Bacon, Caramelized Onion and White Cheddar Mac N Cheese This is such a delicious, comforting dish. I hope you will give it a try.

Tuesday: Linguine with Shrimp brings back such fond memories of our trip to Italy last year. This is a very easy but tasty dish. YUM!

Wednesday: The Taste of Home Mexican Lasagna had to have been the hit recipe of the year. I think everybody around here has tried it and loved it. I hope you will as well.

Thursday: These muffins have been a hit with everyone. I think you will enjoy them. Cranberry Upside Down Muffins
Friday: What's not to love about roast chicken. This roast chicken with lemon and tarragon is one of my go-to meals. It is always delicious.

Saturday: Whenever I make this Shrimp Bisque, Hubby can hardly wait for me to get it to the table. It's that good.

I’d love to know if you try any of these.
Bon Appétit!

Be sure to come back this week and  join in the party at Crock Pot Wednesday.  There’s a giveaway going on! 

 

 

Also linked to:  Mouthwatering Mondays
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam “Tasty Tuesday”
All the Small Things, “Tuesdays at the table”
Life as Mom “Recipe Swap”

CRAVING ELLIE in MY BELLY and Emerald Stir Fry

I frequently fix a stir fry, so I was interested in how Ellie Krieger’s emerald stir fry would be received.  It was certainly a hit!  This says it makes 4 servings, but it made a couple of extras for our house.  It was great warmed over at lunch.  I think the addition of some matchstick carrots would add additional color and texture.   I also think I will try this with chicken breast the next time.  Go check out what others had to say at Craving Ellie in My Belly.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mirin or semisweet white wine, like Riesling
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 8 ounces beef round tip steak, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups fresh snow peas (6 ounces)
• 1 large bunch broccoli (1 1/4 pounds) trimmed and cut into small florets
• 1 bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed and sliced on diagonal into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups (8 ounces) frozen shelled edamame
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

Combine mirin or white wine, orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes and water in a small bowl.

In a large wok or very large (14-inch) saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until just browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat and cook garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add snow peas, broccoli, asparagus and edamame, raise heat to medium-high, and cook for 3 minutes until vegetables are slightly softened. Add the mirin-soy mixture and cook, stirring, until edamame are cooked and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and dissolved cornstarch and stir to incorporate. Cook until mixture thickens slightly and beef is heated through, an additional 2 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve.

We’re seeing lots of this sign these days.  I’m home today because of a POTENTIAL ice storm.  It’s okay with me if it just passes right on through and doesn’t linger for an extended visit.  My daffodils and tulips are up about six inches…stay tuned for the annual Daffodil and Snow Tire Festival:)

Linked to:

http://annkroeker.wordpress.com/
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/
http://www.momtrends.blogspot.com/

CROCK POT WEDNESDAY and Black Bean Soup

A special thanks to Kathy at Life in the Slow Lane for creating our Arkansas Bloggers Button. I'm working on the button code, but have not had the chance to finish with that. You can go ahead and grab the button and post it on your blog if you like. If you would like to join our group, you can do that HERE.

This Beth Hensperger Black Bean Soup is so easy to prepare that it has become a real staple at our house. It does rely on canned black beans, but that's okay with me since they are rinsed and drained before using anyway. Keeping these ingredients on hand makes it easy to have a quick, easy dinner on hand on those days when you are really busy otherwise.

4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa of your choice
2 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth or light vegetable broth
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped onion (my addition)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (my addition)
1 cup (4 ounces) cubed Monterey Jack cheese, for serving
lime or lemon wedges for serving
chopped tomatoes, for serving (my addition)
chopped green onions, for serving (my addition)
Place the beans, salsa, onion, garlic and broth in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 4 hours (LOW 4 to 6 hours). Puree using an immersion blender, or transfer to a food processor or blender and puree in batches. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the consistency with water or more hot broth. (We like ours somewhat chunky and thick.) Ladle into serving bowls; sprinkle with the cilantro, cheese, tomatoes and green onions. Add a squeeze of fresh lime (my preference) or lemon juice and serve immediately.

MENU PLAN MONDAY and Snake Bites

Trust me on this one.  It’s soooo good that you will want to prepare it again and again.  Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of it because I haven’t made it since Christmas.  I just forgot to do that.  Sorry.  Just trust me and try it.

Snake Bites Appetizer

12 16 to 20 count shrimp (3 shrimp per serving)
12 jalapeno peppers (3 per serving)
4 fried corn tortilla shells
12 ounces julienne vegetable mix
8 ounces garlic aioli (garlic mayonnaise)
4 cilantro sprigs
Snake Bite breading
Canola oil for frying

Heat canola oil to 375 degrees.  Fry breaded shrimp until golden brown.  Place julienne vegetable mix on plate spreading them evenly.  Place tortilla shell with garlic aioli at top of plate.  Stand up 3 shrimp in the center of the plate.  One shrimp should point towards the left, one straight and one to the right.

Julienne Vegetable Mix

2 cups red bell pepper, julienne
2 cups zucchini, julienne
2 cups yellow squash, julienne
2 cups carrots, peeled and julienne
5 limes, juiced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves

With a mandoline, julienne the outer skin of the zucchini and squash and set aside.  If you don’t have a mandoline, thinly peel vertically with a very sharp knife.

Proceed to julienne the carrots after they are peeled and set aside.

Remove the seeds and pith from the bell peppers and julienne manually with a knife.  Set aside.

Place all vegetable in a mixing bowl and toss with cilantro and lime juice.

Snake Bite Breading

4 ounces cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with a small amount of water)
2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs (for egg wash) slightly beaten with small amount of water
Water as needed

Place peeled and deveined shrimp in slurry.   Place on sheet pan with parchment Next, add flour, egg wash and cornmeal.

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Tim Mills
The Delta and River Company

Menu for Week of January January 24

Sunday: Our 40th anniversary.  We ate out and I was finally hungry:)

Monday:  Crock Pot Wednesday’s (from last week) Black Bean Soup

Tuesday:  Hubby’s night to teach.  Grilled chicken Caesar salad

Wednesday:  Dance and Date night – FINALLY!

Thursday:  Craving Ellie in My Belly’s Emerald Stir Fry (posted Friday)

Friday: leftovers

Saturday:  We will probably eat out.

Have a great week:)  Come back this week and post to Crock Pot Wednesday.

 

 

Linked to:
Menu Plan Monday
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

I’M BAAAAACCCKKKK!

Thanks to those of you who emailed or twittered me concerning my lack of posts this week.  Well…Monday started off well but got progressively worse.  I thought IT was the flu, but by Wednesday it became some sort of stomach virus.  By Friday, I was in the hospital primarily due to dehydration.  The thought of even picking up my computer never crossed my mind.  I am obviously better this evening, so I was discharged with more tests coming up next week.  Anyway, thanks for checking on me.

I had the Crock Pot Wednesday post ready and supposedly set to post.  Unfortunately, it never did.  That will be this week’s post.

For those of you who were ready with last week’s CPW entry and would like to post that one along with yours for this week, please feel free to do so.

MENU PLAN MONDAY Anniversary and Globetrotters

The Perfect Ones were here for the weekend; what fun we had! There were trains and pink babies everywhere.   I do so love it when they come to Nana’s house.  Perfect Daughter came along with them.  It’s always nice to have her back home. I still love being able to kiss her good night and good morning.  I think that was one of the things I missed most when she left for college.  After this long,, I guess the longing for that is not going away.  That’s a good thing.

 

Monday:  Holiday for both of us.  It’s dance and  date night:)

Tuesday: We both have meetings.  I think leftovers are the best option tonight. 

Wednesday:  Perfect Boy is coming to Nana’s house!  It’s off to see the Globetrotters.  He LOVES basketball!  He also loves concession stand hot dogs and nachos:) And Twizzlers.  And M & M’s.  And Nerds.  And…… Remember…it’s Nana and Oo Hoo time!

 Thursday:  Craving Ellie in My Belly’s Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip with lime-grilled chicken.

Friday:  This week’s Crock Pot Wednesday’s Black Bean Soup (posted Tuesday), spicy Mexican cornbread, avocado-orange and spinach salad

Saturday: Hubby and I celebrate our 40th anniversary on the 24th.

Come join me this week for Crock Pot Wednesday.  I really appreciate your participation.

Linked to:  Menu Plan Monday

CRAVING ELLIE in MY BELLY and Arugula, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

This week’s recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly is one of my long-term favorites.  I’ve been making this version and the Cooking Light version for quite some time.  If you are the Meat Lovers Pizza Person in your family, you won't find that here.  However, I dare you to give this a try and not like the blend of flavors. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 cups arugula, washed, dried and coarsely chopped (You can substitute spinach.  The arugula gives it a peppery bite, however.)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 whole-wheat tortillas, 6-inches in diameter (You can also make your own precooked whole wheat crust or purchase a premade whole wheat crust.)
• 2 ounces reduced-fat goat cheese
• I sometimes toss on 1/4 cup (approx.) toasted walnuts.  Try it!  You may be pleasantly surprised.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the oil and onions in a medium skillet and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and add the arugula. Cook until the arugula is wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with some of the arugula/onion mixture. Crumble some goat cheese on top of each, and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes and cut each pizza into 4 triangles.

Go over to check out what everyone else has to say about this flavorful pizza.

CROCK POT WEDNESDAY and Vietnamese Chicken Curry

 
Thanks so much for being here for Crock Pot Wednesday.  I hope you will decide to share a favorite slow cooker recipe of yours.  Link it up with Mister Linky below.

Do you ever get in a cooking rut?  I know I do if I am not careful.  It’s so convenient to fix those easy, tried and true favorites all of the time.  No hassle.  No real fuss.

My problem is that I don’t like to be bored.  That is especially true when it comes to mealtime.  But like many of you, I work hard and come home tired.  That is one reason I really like using my Crock Pot one, two or more times a week.  It makes my mealtime preparation much easier and less hectic.  I’m really trying lately to make myself attempt different ideas.  The slow cooker is not just about soups and stews…nothing wrong with those though!  I’ll take a rich, flavorful soup or stew on a cold winter evening ANY time!  Thank you very much:)

    

This Vietnamese Chicken Curry is full of tropical flavors that will transport you to the land of coconut and WARMTH!  (I know that some of you aren’t in the deep freezer right now, but please have sympathy for those of us who are:)

 

3 Tablespoons canola oil
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
3 Tablespoons Madras-style curry powder
1 Tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces*
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 4 slices
1 cup chicken broth
1 (13 1/2-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 sweet potato, about 3/4 pound, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 Tablespoons finely shredded basil

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil.  Working in batches, cook the chicken thighs until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the curry powder, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon pepper, the lemongrass, and ginger and sauté until the spices are fragrant and well blended with the garlic and shallots, about 30 seconds.   Add the broth and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to a boil.

Transfer the coconut milk mixture to the slow cooker.  Add the chicken thighs, carrots and sweet potato, pushing them into the mixture.  Cover and cook until the chicken is  opaque throughout and the chicken and vegetables are very tender, about 3 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.

Transfer the chicken, vegetables and sauce to a warmed platter.  Garnish with the basil and serve at once.

ARKANSAS BLOGGERS LINK UP HERE.

Link up with Mister Linky to join in Crock Pot Wednesday. Thanks so much!

DINNER SPINNER and Menu Plan Monday

 If you have an Iphone or an Ipod Touch, there’s a free application available to help with your menu plans.  Dinner Spinner is a small (1.8MB) application that accesses Allrecipes.com’s database of user-submitted easy-to-make recipes. Once you have chosen a type of course, a main ingredient, and the cooking time (it spins like a slot machine), you tell it to view matches, and it finds recipe suggestions for you. Once you make your selection, an ingredient list and nutritional information are provided to assist with your grocery shopping.  The recipes are set up list most cookbooks in that you get a step-by-step instructions on how to cook the dish.   User ratings and comments will help you decide on your choices and may offer suggestions on changes, additions or substitutions  that help you decide exactly what you will and will not like.  You can even mark a recipe as a favorite if you want.

It’s not without its flaws, however.  You cannot access your All Recipes login which is inconvenient if you want to get to a dish that you have  tried before.  Also, some of the ingredient categories are a little random and the print can be quite small.

Overall, I like it and find it useful when I’m at the grocery and just need ideas.  Plus, it’s FREE!  I can’t complain too much.

I think I will plan a week’s worth of meals soon using the app just to see what happens.  It could be interesting?????

It’s Menu Plan Monday time with Laura.  We have a really busy week this week.  Hubby starts teaching his night class again this week, and I am starting a neighborhood Bible study focusing on the book of Esther.  I’m still trying to use up supplies that I have on hand either in the pantry or the freezer.

Monday:  Vietnamese Chicken Curry for Crock Pot Wednesday (posting Tuesday)
Tuesday: Chicken Curry Pitas with spring green salad
Wednesday: Dance and Date Night
Thursday: Arugula, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza for Craving Ellie in My Belly
Friday:  I think the Perfect Ones are coming for a visit! 

I don’t plan for breakfasts or lunches really.  Hubby is in charge of breakfast so I try to have things on hand that are easy for his to fix.  My lunch usually is something leftover, yogurt or a salad.

Have a great week.  Come join me for Crock Pot Wednesday.  Mister Linky will be available by 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Linked to:
Menu Plan Monday
Tasty Tuesdays
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table

PINK SATURDAY THANK YOU

 

Many thanks to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting Pink Saturday.

Shannon at The Mommy Files hosted a Santa Swap recently in which I participated.  I’m ashamed to admit that I am so delinquent in posting a thank you for that.  Life happens.  I certainly want to thank her for hosting the event and for making all of us feel welcome in doing so.

My goody box arrived in great shape and was immediately put to use.  I will spare you the pictures of just how I actually used them as those may be waaayyy too stimulating for you, but I will assure you that I enjoyed them!

The candy and the beef sticks went immediately to the teacher’s lounge at my school (teacher’s are desperate for food, ya’ know), but the PINK bath goodies were all mine.  Long, warm baths and showers….is there anything more relaxing or uplifting?  Thanks to Melissa at Shimmer Me Blue for the indulgences:)  Check out her original jewelry; she has some really nice pieces.

A very happy Pink Saturday to all of you and thanks to Beverly for hosting us once again.

I hope to see your favorite slow cooker recipe at Crock Pot Wednesday this week.  Come join me.

 

Arkansas Bloggers Link

CRAVING ELLIE IN MY BELLY and Lemon Icebox Bars

 

(Graphic courtesy of Whimsy Studios.)

Last week’s suggested recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly was this one for Lemon Icebox Bars.  I did not get them made in time for that post, so I chose to wait until this week.  I hope that’s not the way the rest of my year goes!

I love anything lemon.  You may remember that I have posted about that before.  Lemons and limes are my friends.  I think they just perk up the flavor to so many things, so I keep them on hand almost always.  Try squeezing a little lime juice over your meat and vegetables just before serving; I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I avoid making baked lemon bars because I love them!  If I make them, I eat them.  Know what I mean?  This Ellie Krieger version is a nice replacement for those high-caloric ones with which most of us are familiar.

However, I must confess that I “farmed” them out to neighbors as quickly as I could.  They were just way too tempting.

 

I would so love to have a Meyer lemon tree like this one.  If you’ve had any luck wintering one over inside, I would love to know how you did it. 

Crust:

• 14 whole-grain graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)
• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray

Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup pasteurized egg product (such as egg beaters)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
• 3 tablespoons boiling water

Make Crust:

Directions

Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until crumbs are formed. Add butter, brown sugar and salt and pulse to incorporate, until crumbs resemble wet sand. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and pack crumbs firmly into the bottom of it. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, condensed milk and pasteurized egg product and beat on high with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice and beat until fully incorporated, another 30 seconds. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and boiling water and whisk until gelatin is entirely dissolved; let cool 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the gelatin into the cream cheese-lemon mixture until well incorporated. Pour the filling over the crust. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, until filling is firm. Slice into 2-inch squares using a chilled knife coated with cooking spray.

16 servings

While I followed the recipe exactly this first time, I will probably add more lemon zest when I make these again.  We prefer really tart-tasting lemon bars.

(Photo courtesy of the Food Network.)

Linked to:
Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog
Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends

CROCK POT WEDNESDAY and Paula’s Potato Soup with Shrimp

  

It’s Crock Pot Wednesday time and today’s entry is this really tasty and hearty potato soup with shrimp from Paula Deen’s Paula Deen and Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style.  And because it’s Paula, you know it is going to have butter!  Fortunately, it’s not too much and it does add a real depth of richness that only butter provides.  This is one terrific soup especially during this really cold week we are having.  Thanks for choosing to participate by linking up with Mister Linky below.

Arkansas Bloggers,

If you are interested in joining us, please add your blog to our growing list.  Thanks to Kathy B for volunteering to design our background, header and badge.  If you get the chance go visit her at Life in the Slow Lane.

(My adaptations are in italics.)I’m still Using It Up from my freezer and pantry this week.  I had everything on hand to make this soup.  Don’t you just love it when that happens? 

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots (or celery), diced about the same size as the onion
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (I typically do not peel ours, and I leave them in fairly large cubes since they will be cooking in the slow cooker all day.)
• 4 cups milk, whole, reduced fat (2 percent) or low fat (1 percent)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot milk
• 1 cup half-and-half (I usually use chicken or vegetable stock just to help out with the calorie count.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or Emeril’s Bayou Blast
• 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, optional
• 2 cups salted water (I don’t use.)
• 1 pound medium shrimp
• Crumbled bacon bits, for garnish
• Grated sharp Cheddar, for garnish
• Dill sprigs, optional garnish (I prefer Italian parsley.)
  
  

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion and carrots until both are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

(At this point, I add the flour and butter mixture to the crock pot along with the potatoes, milk, frozen corn and dissolved bouillon cubes.  If I am going to be at home, I will add the half and half about half way through the cooking time.  Otherwise, I add it with the potato cubes.  If I am using stock, it goes in with the potatoes at the beginning of the cooking time.  Season with the salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours.) 

Add the potatoes, milk, and dissolved bouillon cubes. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft and some of them have begun to dissolve into mush. Add the half-and-half, salt, and pepper.

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups lightly salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp all at once and stir well. Watch the shrimp closely; as soon as they all turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes, turn off the heat and drain. The shrimp should be slightly undercooked. When they are cool, peel them, and chop roughly into big chunks. Add the shrimp to the soup and stir well.

(About 30 minutes before serving, I add the peeled and chopped raw shrimp.  The shrimp is done when it turns pink throughout.  You can use precooked, frozen shrimp if you have that on hand.  I would definitely thaw it under running cold water before adding it to the soup. )

Serve soup sprinkled with bacon bits and grated cheese. Garnish with dill sprigs (or parsley), if desired.

 (Photo courtesy of pauladeen.com)

Linked to:  My Girl, Paula!

MENU PLAN MONDAY and Using It Up!

Arkansas Bloggers Link

 

Check out all of the great menu suggestions  at Menu Plan Monday and organizing ideas you’ll find at Laura’s blog, I’m An Organizing Junkie.

 

 

 

Be sure to come back and join me for Crock Pot Wednesday.  Mister Linky will be up by Tuesday evening.  Thanks so much for your participation.

It’s back-to-school time for me on Monday.  It was a wonderful Christmas holiday for us; I hope yours was as well.

Having two little ones who were totally “in” to Christmas and Santa this year probably helped. 

I’m looking forward to getting back to our usual routine except for the 5:30 a.m. wake up call.  Hubby and I fell “off the wagon” with our walking routine over the break, but got back to it yesterday.  It is so cold here right now that I just know I’ll do some protesting when the alarm goes off on Monday!  Thank goodness Hubby won’t let me talk him out of it:)

It’s back to the freezer and using up leftover week at our house this week.  There are some great ideas for using up your pantry supplies over at Life As Mom.  You might want to see what everyone has to say.

Monday:  Paula Deen’s Potato Soup with Shrimp (posted on Tuesday for Crock Pot Wednesday) with Green Chili Corn Muffins

Tuesday:  Crock Pot Ham (from the freezer) with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze, steamed green beans, roasted carrots

Wednesday: Dance and Date Night

Thursday:  Stuffed Baked Potatoes with leftover spinach dip

Friday:  Leftover chili from the freezer, corn chips, Cheddar, Ellie’s No-Bake Lemon Bars for Craving Ellie in My Belly

Saturday:  Ham Salad Sandwiches with Tortilla Soup  from the freezer

Linked to:
11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven’s “Homemaker Mondays”
From the Land of Monkeys “Mouth Watering Mondays” 
Tales from The Fairy Blogmother “What’s Cooking Wednesday”
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

FIVE QUESTION FRIDAY, Merry Merry Munchies Winner, Arkansas Bloggers and Candy Bar Cookies

ARKANSAS BLOGGERS GROUP FORMING.  LINK UP HERE.

Congratulations to Cheryl at TidyMom who is the winner of the A Christmas Carol game.  Thanks to all who participated in the Merry Merry Munchies blog event.  There were some really delicious entries.  Come back again next year!  Happy New Year to everyone.

  Today is Five Question Friday hosted by Mama M at My Little Life.  It’s a fun and easy way to share some thoughts about yourself and your family traditions.  Go check it out.  It’s not too late to participate.  Just copy the questions below and link up. 

Remember to come back here next week for Crock Pot Wednesday.  I’ll be looking forward to what you have to share.

1. Do you do a real or fake Christmas tree?

I have to confess that I now use a fake tree, but we never used one until we started travelling over the holiday.  We always gathered our tree from the family farm or purchased one locally from the Kiwanis tree lot.  Also, for many years one of my husband’s clients allowed us to come to his warehouse and select one.  He was a tree wholesaler to places such as K-Mart so it was tree Heaven for us!

 
2. What is your favorite Christmas tradition with your family?

Over the years we have developed so many, but one of the ones that has been a constant is the reading of Barrington Bunny from the book The Way of the Wolf and The Littlest Angel.  My husband still reads these to our Perfect Daughter and, now, our Perfect Babies each Christmas Eve. 

Of course, Santa has to have his milk and cookies!

3. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods? And, if so...how many calories do you think you consumed yesterday?

I read somewhere last week that the average person consumes at least 3,000 calories at the Thanksgiving meal.  That is followed by another 1000 to 2000 calories later in the day from snacking on leftovers.  I seriously hope that wasn’t true for me, but it sure was tasty!

This year we were at Perfect Daughter’s house where four families came together to celebrate.  Our meal consisted of fried turkey, beef Wellington, roasted sweet potato casserole, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, Southern cornbread dressing, ginger-apple-cranberry chutney, spinach, blueberry and Mandarin orange salad, blueberry cobbler and apple and peach pies.  We would have had green bean bundles except that I forgot all about them until the meal was over!  Oh well, they are safely frozen away for a tasty addition to another meal.

 4. Have you started decorating for Christmas, yet?

I began last evening preparing the materials to decorate my daughter’s front door.  As for my house, I’ll be working on that later this week. 

I used to decorate every room in my house, but I no longer do that since we are not home and do not have any events planned there this year.

5. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

While these aren’t necessarily Christmas cookies, I usually make them during the holidays.  Hubby’s cousin, Carole, gave me the recipe in 1977 according to my notes.  It is a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe, but I have no idea from which year.  These are somewhat time consuming to make, but they are so good that you won’t care!

Candy Bar Cookies
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted flour

Cream butter.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix well.  Add the milk, vanilla and salt.  Mix well.  Gradually add in the flour and mix thoroughly.  If necessary, chill for easier handling (I always chill the dough.)

Roll out the dough, half at a time, on a floured surface, making a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.  Trim the sides.  Cut the dough into 3 x 1 1/2-inch rectangles or 2-inch squares.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned (about 10-12 minutes).  Cool on a cake rack.

Spread each cookie with 1 teaspoon filling and 1/2 teaspoon of the icing.  Decorate with a toasted pecan half.

Caramel Filling
Combine in the top of a double boiler:
     1/2 pound Kraft light caramels
     1/2 cup evaporated milk
Heat until the caramels are melted, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and add:
     1/4 cup butter
     1 cup sifted powdered sugar
      1 cup chopped pecans  (I toast mine because I think it improves the taste.)

Chocolate Icing
Melt 1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate pieces with 1/3 cup evaporated milk over low heat.  Remove from the heat and stir in:
     2 Tablespoons butter
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

Linked to:
Designs by Gollum “Foodie Friday”
Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends
Woops!  Just a tad bit late posting this:)  The holiday bustle gremlin must have gobbled it up:)