.....for some it depends on the kitchen of the house you buy!!!! Yes...the kitchen!!!!!! I just finished watching an episode of House Hunters with a VERY young woman searching for her "Dream" house with her equally young husband. This young woman based her search for that special house on whether or not it had a kitchen that would look good on her blog!!!!!! Can you just imagine my reaction to that one???? Cost, size, layout, location took bottom place on the NEED list. If you watch the show you know that they are presented 3 homes to view....all three were straight from heaven but on one the white of the kitchen counter tops were not the same shade as the cabinets, it had to have a double oven but the main priority was if her blog photos would be as she desired in the kitchen!!!! If a spiffy kitchen is needed for a successful blog then guess I'll be using commercial photos of my recipes, crafts etc. Ok...off my soap box but I just had to share. I would have felt like I had died and gone to heaven with ANY of the kitchens I saw!!!
School starts tomorrow for our county and Gabriel is excited to be going back to school. He met his new teacher this past Friday and tells me she is really nice. I will be picking him up at his bus stop in the afternoons now that Mommy has a new job. I'm going to miss my little man. Going to take me a few days to adjust to him not being here during the day. I can't wait to see what he has ahead of him in 2nd grade.
Having some free time means I can get back to reading. Just finished the newest Iris Johansen book "Hunting Eve" and got to the end of the last chapter to find that it really didn't end....it's continued in the next book "Silencing Eve" not due to be out until October this year!!!! The first in the trilogy is "Taking Eve" and if you've never read of any of Iris Johansen then you're missing some good reads.....that's if you like suspense/thrillers. Eve Duncan is a forensic sculpture, lost her only child when she was 7 and lives with her ex-FBI current Atalanta PD officer boyfriend and has an adopted daughter who is an artist. Johansen is a fantastic author and once you read one of her books you won't stop till you reach the end of the list.
Another author I read voraciously is Catherine Coulter....just her FBI series. She also write what is often referred to as "bodice rippers" but it's the FBI series starring a husband/wife team of FBI agents. Excellent reading if you're into mysteries, suspense, or thrillers. Most libraries have most or all of her books. I'm now awaiting my name to reach the top of reserve list for her newest in the FBI series "Bombshell".
Well....my friends, it's time to go into that kitchen of mine that will probably never be seen on this blog and fix a bite to eat. Have a grand week ahead! And if you're living where you are getting a lot of that wet stuff as we are here then be safe and stay dry.
Until the next time.......
God bless
Rosemary
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Schooldays, school days, dear old golden rule days.....
.......reading and writing and 'rithmetic, talk to the tune of the hickory stick. It's that time of the year again when we send our children and grandchildren off to yet another year of preparation for their little futures! Now I already know that Gabriel will spend most afternoons here with Steve and me while Stephanie works and I know he hits the front door complaining about being hungry. How easy it would be to keep a slew of cookies....either home baked or bought....but I don't know about your youngun's but Gabriel would be bouncing off the walls if I gave him a lot of sweets. So I have been making a list of things that he might like but aren't wall bouncers!!!! He loves carrots and celery so that's a good thing to have on hand with some ranch dressing for dipping. Of course fresh fruits are good....only problem there is he wants his apples with caramel dip!!! So I started searching for snacks with less sugar content. My next favorite thing beside the Dollar Tree is Pinterest and there is a truck load of ideas. Zuchinni chips, a cereal snack mix, Garlic Bagel Chips with a bacon cream cheese dip.....recipes will be added below.
Baked Zuchinni Chips
Ingredients
¼ cup dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (you could also use skim milk)
2½ cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini
Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl stirring with a whisk.
- Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
- Place coated slices on an oven proof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crisped.
Roasted Garlic Bagel Crisps with a Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp
- 5 strips bacon, chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup light mayo
- ¼ teaspoon dill weed
- 1 package New York Style Roasted Garlic Bagel Crisps
Mix first 5 ingredients and chill.
Mini Muffin Corn Dogs
(I used Jiffy cornbread mix in a box....was delicious)
1/2
cup melted butter (or 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 all-beef hot dogs, cut into 1″ bites
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 all-beef hot dogs, cut into 1″ bites
Directions:
1.
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine.
Add eggs and whisk to incorporate. Add buttermilk and whisk to incorporate.
2. In
a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt, and stir to
combine. Whisk into wet ingredients in two batches.
3. Spray
a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and spoon 1 Tablespoon of batter into
each mini muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each cup.
4. Bake
for 8-12 minutes (oven temperatures vary), or until cornbread is golden brown.
Cool in mini muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in the
refrigerator, and re-heat for 20-30 seconds before serving. Makes48.
After School Cereal
Snack Mix
1 cup corn flakes cereal
3/4 cup oat bran "O"s cereal (like Cheerios)
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Reese's Pieces
1/2 cup raisins
Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
Serve or store in Ziplock bags or an airtight container.
You can add or delete or change ingredients except for the cereals. Use your imagination!!!
I will be keeping fruit juices, Koolade etc to go with his snacks. And in the colder months he always want hot chocolate!!!! Ever try making hot chocolate with Nutella? GOOD!!!!!
As for after school entertainment....I think his teacher will be providing that in the form of homework. I think we are very lucky that he's a good student and isn't far enough along in school to have developed a taste of disliking homework!!!!
Hope this post will come in handy for all of you. And these snacks are NOTjust for the younger set.....think I may have to do a few for this grandma!!!!!
Enjoy and God bless. And here's to an excellent school year for us all!
Rosemary
I will be keeping fruit juices, Koolade etc to go with his snacks. And in the colder months he always want hot chocolate!!!! Ever try making hot chocolate with Nutella? GOOD!!!!!
As for after school entertainment....I think his teacher will be providing that in the form of homework. I think we are very lucky that he's a good student and isn't far enough along in school to have developed a taste of disliking homework!!!!
Hope this post will come in handy for all of you. And these snacks are NOTjust for the younger set.....think I may have to do a few for this grandma!!!!!
Enjoy and God bless. And here's to an excellent school year for us all!
Rosemary
Saturday, June 29, 2013
More and more yummies....
Before I get started in some more goodies I want to thank my very special friend, Linda Percy, for helping me with this blog by sending me some truly fantastic recipes. Thank you, my friend, for caring about me and caring enough to help me with this blog. You have no idea how much I appreciate this!!!!Love you!!!!
Ok....just a few minutes ago Linda shared with me her recipe for Apple Dump Cake. And according to the instructions you do just that....DUMP everything in a pan and cook it! Could anything be any easier? And I understand that her better half loves this cake and believe me....that is a fantastic endorsement. Thanks Bob!!!!
So we will start with the:
APPLE DUMP CAKE
2 cans apple pie filling 1 box yellow cake mix
Cinnamon 2 sticks butter cut into 12 pieces
1 c chopped pecans (walnuts can be used, too)
Place pie filling in a 9 x 12 pan that has been sprayed with butter flavored Pam. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add chopped nuts. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and then dot the top with the 12 pieces of butter. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Recipes says you can top with ice cream or Cool Whip when serving but my friend, Bob, says it's just a grand without either. And imagine how good this would be using peach, blueberry or blackberry pie filling!!!!!!
So....we have dessert and now we backtrack and do a before dinner appetizer.....Taco Dip.
TACO DIP
1 8 oz. cream cheese small dollop Sour cream
1 envelope Taco seasoning lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, chopped
grated Mexican cheese black olives, sliced or chopped
Mix cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning and spread in bottom of dish. Top with chopped veggies, olives then add Mexican cheese to the top. Open a big bag of corn chips, Doritos etc and dig in!!!!
Again so many thanks, Linda! These are wonderful.
So now we have the beginning and the end but we need something in the middle for a main dish!
ONE DISH CHICKEN, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES
Nothing is easier then this....a whole meal minus a salad in one dish.
Boneless, skinnless chicken breasts (however many you need for those dining)
1 lg bag frozen green beans
Small red potatoes (white potatoes will work, too) cut into quarters (more pieces if usng Idaho)
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing
1 stick Butter
In a 9 x 12 baking dish place chicken down the center of the dish. Place frozen green beans on one side of the chicken and potatoes on the other. Place pieces of butter over the top of the chicken, beans and potatoes then sprinkle about half the envelope of dry Italian dressing mix over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. I checked at 45 minutes and all were cooked.
Throw in a green salad or a fruit salad and...............................
THAT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!!!!!!
Enjoy and check back often for more yummies, a few crafts and some good reads...a lot of this and that!
God bless
Rosemary
Ok....just a few minutes ago Linda shared with me her recipe for Apple Dump Cake. And according to the instructions you do just that....DUMP everything in a pan and cook it! Could anything be any easier? And I understand that her better half loves this cake and believe me....that is a fantastic endorsement. Thanks Bob!!!!
So we will start with the:
APPLE DUMP CAKE
Cinnamon 2 sticks butter cut into 12 pieces
1 c chopped pecans (walnuts can be used, too)
Place pie filling in a 9 x 12 pan that has been sprayed with butter flavored Pam. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add chopped nuts. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and then dot the top with the 12 pieces of butter. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Recipes says you can top with ice cream or Cool Whip when serving but my friend, Bob, says it's just a grand without either. And imagine how good this would be using peach, blueberry or blackberry pie filling!!!!!!
So....we have dessert and now we backtrack and do a before dinner appetizer.....Taco Dip.
TACO DIP
1 8 oz. cream cheese small dollop Sour cream
1 envelope Taco seasoning lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, chopped
grated Mexican cheese black olives, sliced or chopped
Mix cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning and spread in bottom of dish. Top with chopped veggies, olives then add Mexican cheese to the top. Open a big bag of corn chips, Doritos etc and dig in!!!!
Again so many thanks, Linda! These are wonderful.
So now we have the beginning and the end but we need something in the middle for a main dish!
ONE DISH CHICKEN, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES
Nothing is easier then this....a whole meal minus a salad in one dish.
Boneless, skinnless chicken breasts (however many you need for those dining)
1 lg bag frozen green beans
Small red potatoes (white potatoes will work, too) cut into quarters (more pieces if usng Idaho)
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing
1 stick Butter
In a 9 x 12 baking dish place chicken down the center of the dish. Place frozen green beans on one side of the chicken and potatoes on the other. Place pieces of butter over the top of the chicken, beans and potatoes then sprinkle about half the envelope of dry Italian dressing mix over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. I checked at 45 minutes and all were cooked.
Throw in a green salad or a fruit salad and...............................
THAT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!!!!!!
Enjoy and check back often for more yummies, a few crafts and some good reads...a lot of this and that!
God bless
Rosemary
Sunday, June 23, 2013
It was a dark and gloomy night.......
.....so begins a lot of stories designed to "scare" you. But there are so many other books out there besides those written to scare the pants off you!!!! I am afraid I am biased toward the mystery/thriller and legal thrillers but I do read a good romance and historical tombs. If pressed to choose a favorite author I'd be hard put to choose just one., I LOVE James Patterson....especially his Alex Cross and Women's Mystery Club series but recently read a few stand-along novels and have begun his Michael Bennett series. Love Michael Bennett....I mean, here's a NY detective who works full time and manages to raise 10 adopted children after his wife dies of cancer....of course with the help of a nanny and his grandfather who became a priest after grandmother passed away. Start with STEP ON A CRACK and move forward from there with RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, WORST CASE, TICK TOCK and the latest I, MICHAEL BENNETT. Very good reads and even gives Alex Cross (same author) a run for his money.
And now to move away from the mysteries and suspense genres.... I recently read a marvelous book recommended to me by my long time friend, Linda Percy called "To Heaven and Back" by Dr. Mary C. Neal. Dr. Neal, while on a kayaking trip in Chili, capsized going down a waterfall and was drowned. She was trapped underwater, tied into her kayak, and despite everything being done by all those there her rescue became impossible. Finally after she had been under the water long enough to be determined to be dead something happened to dislodge the kayak allowing rescuers to reach her. Numerous tries to resuscitate seemed useless until finally she began breathing again...tho not very well. Dr. Neal had been raised in a church environment but was never overly concerned about God and his miracles. This incident restored her complete faith that there ARE angels at work in all of our lives. She describes what she saw as she entered heaven. This is a must read book.....tho I have always believed in the existence of angels it wasn't till I read this book (totally unlike the style of books I normally read) did I know fully in my heart that each and everyone of us has an angel....perhaps more then one....watching over us. This is a quick read but one I highly recommend.
Let's don't forget the little folk who are avid readers like my Little Man....Gabriel loves books and is an excellent reader. Last fall we went thru the Mercy Watson series written by Newbery Award Winner Kate diCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Mercy is a pig....but the Watsons think of her as their daughter!!!!!! Rach book in this series can be completed in 2 readings and Gabriel, who was in first grade at that time, had no problems reading them. It was nice, after 40 years of planning story programs and reading to thousands of children, to be read to!!!!! I might add that Mercy LOVES toast so make a few slices for your young reader and let them dig into the Mercy Watson series!!!!!
There is a Mercy Watson website with games, Mercy's neighborhood, list of her books and teacher/lesson plans.
www,mercywatson.com
Tons of fun.
Hopefully Gabriel and I will tackle another series of Choose Your Own Adventures, Goosebumps series and the Magic Tree House series. But in the meantime I am going to close down this blog for today and go finish my latest mystery by Lisa Scottoline:
Come Home
A suspense story of a mother who sacrifices her future for a child from her past.Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her - though it is stressful - and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.But Jill's life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill's ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don't add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can't turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.
Happy reading!!!!!!!!!!
And now to move away from the mysteries and suspense genres.... I recently read a marvelous book recommended to me by my long time friend, Linda Percy called "To Heaven and Back" by Dr. Mary C. Neal. Dr. Neal, while on a kayaking trip in Chili, capsized going down a waterfall and was drowned. She was trapped underwater, tied into her kayak, and despite everything being done by all those there her rescue became impossible. Finally after she had been under the water long enough to be determined to be dead something happened to dislodge the kayak allowing rescuers to reach her. Numerous tries to resuscitate seemed useless until finally she began breathing again...tho not very well. Dr. Neal had been raised in a church environment but was never overly concerned about God and his miracles. This incident restored her complete faith that there ARE angels at work in all of our lives. She describes what she saw as she entered heaven. This is a must read book.....tho I have always believed in the existence of angels it wasn't till I read this book (totally unlike the style of books I normally read) did I know fully in my heart that each and everyone of us has an angel....perhaps more then one....watching over us. This is a quick read but one I highly recommend.
Let's don't forget the little folk who are avid readers like my Little Man....Gabriel loves books and is an excellent reader. Last fall we went thru the Mercy Watson series written by Newbery Award Winner Kate diCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Mercy is a pig....but the Watsons think of her as their daughter!!!!!! Rach book in this series can be completed in 2 readings and Gabriel, who was in first grade at that time, had no problems reading them. It was nice, after 40 years of planning story programs and reading to thousands of children, to be read to!!!!! I might add that Mercy LOVES toast so make a few slices for your young reader and let them dig into the Mercy Watson series!!!!!
There is a Mercy Watson website with games, Mercy's neighborhood, list of her books and teacher/lesson plans.
www,mercywatson.com
Tons of fun.
Hopefully Gabriel and I will tackle another series of Choose Your Own Adventures, Goosebumps series and the Magic Tree House series. But in the meantime I am going to close down this blog for today and go finish my latest mystery by Lisa Scottoline:
Come Home
A suspense story of a mother who sacrifices her future for a child from her past.Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her - though it is stressful - and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.But Jill's life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill's ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don't add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can't turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.
Happy reading!!!!!!!!!!
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