Merpy New Chrisyear!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! What a fun fun fun Christmas we had. Our family drew names, so there were far less gifts, but much more time to eat good food. It worked out perfectly! It was wonderful having Nate and Heather home for a couple of days, and James is hanging out yet for another turkey dinner at Grandma Ann's. At least I think it's turkey, we're in charge of relish.

Here was our Christmas appetizer buffet:
1 smoked turkey, a batch of rumaki - half shrimp, half smoked oyster, pecan crusted artichoke dip, dried beef spread, bacon tomato dip, shrimp/cocktail sauce, pizza fondue, pickle wraps (a family tradition), cream cheese with jalapeno jelly, olives, a plethora of crackers and bread sticks, coconut bon bons, chocolate craisin squares, a festive red punch, egg nog with rum, an assortment of adult beverages, freshly ground coffee, and anything else that we could find to toss out there! I realized the next day that I forgot the fresh vegetables (probably to healthy) and summer sausage & cheese. Oh well, we're enjoying them now!

I think one of the favorites was the Pizza dip, so that is what I'm posting today. Hope you try it!

Pizza Fondue
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (I did not add these)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fennel seed
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
2 cans -15oz pizza sauce
10 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives
1/2 cup white zinfandel wine (any kind would probably work)
plain bagels and/or ciabatta bread cut into bit size chunks

In a large skillet cook the beef, mushrooms, onion and garlic over med heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in fennel, oregano, Italian seasoning and pizza sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes and stir in wine and cheeses until melted. Last add the olives and transfer to a fondue pot or small crock pot for dips. Keep warm and serve with chunks of bread. Tortilla chips might be good as well, hm-mm. If it gets a little thick you can add more wine.

I might do this again for New Years Eve OR for the big HUSKER football game New Years Day.

WILD KINGDOM

Today was a day we've been waiting for a long time in our classroom. We had five rain forest animals visit us sponsored by Mutual of Omaha.

I have one preschool student that has a future with animals in one way shape or form. He knew the name of one of the animals that stumped everyone else in our audience. In fact the presenter said that only about one other school has had anyone that knew the name of it. The animal was a kinkachoo, you may have to google it because my picture came out dark. It's also called a honey bear. I was SOOOO proud of him. The rest of his class was saying, "Good job Logan, way to go Logan!!"

Then this little 2 year old baboon stole every ones heart, diaper and all. You should have seen him eat all this food and slam down that bottle of water. WOW!

The little miniature opossum (but cuter) pooped all over the floor. That was her first animal and it really broke the ice and got the kids interested right away!!


It was 45 minutes long, but felt like we were there only 10 minutes. We had a great presenter, she did a nice job of keeping all ages of kids interested.

I'm getting down to zero hour with days left until Christmas. The older kids took their presents home today for their parents, the 3 year olds will take their gifts home tomorrow. We have our gift exchange party's on Monday/Tuesday and then we are out of school until January 5th.

I'm getting in appetizer mode, that's what we always do on Christmas Eve. I do buy a smoked turkey from a man that we know, but we just leave it whole and pick at it along with the appetizers. I have always loved something called Rumaki, it's not for everyone, but if you are feeling adventurous you might want to give it a try.

Rumaki

12 slices bacon, halved crosswise
12 ounces chicken livers, halved
12 whole water chestnuts, halved

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar

The Rumaki Recipe begins with the marinade, of course: Combine soy sauce, ginger, sherry and sugar in a small bowl. Add the chicken livers and water chestnut pieces and marinate them in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Place 1 chicken liver piece and 1 chestnut piece in the center of each bacon-half, wrap, and secure with a toothpick. Place the Rumaki on a broiler pan or shallow baking pan and broil, about 5 or 6 inches from the heat, until the bacon is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Or, you can bake the appetizers in a 375° oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 24 appetizers. I have substituted smoked oysters for the chicken livers - much easier to keep on hand, and I don't always marinade them. I think I'm going to try a shrimp with the water chestnut wrapped in bacon and see how that is. YUM-O.

TOP SECRET elf work going on!

We have been SOOOOO busy in my classroom. The children worked their little fingers to the bone making decorations for the open house this last Wednesday. We made many things, but my favorite is our invisible snow man that you see between two snowflakes here. I love these guys.














Today we started making gifts for mom and dad.
It's a little hard to see them in their glory in this photo, but they are baby food jars that have tissue paper squares glued on and then magic snow is sprinkled on while they are still wet! Once a ribbon is tied around the neck of the jar and a little candle is plopped inside they will be a masterpiece indeed. These are really a fast project if you don't include drying time. The down side is that I don't think baby food jars come in glass any more?? Not sure.... so you'd have to score some oldies in someones dark basement somewhere.














Yesterday I made a batch of fudge that was lighting fast to make. I think it turned out pretty well, and would be a nice addition to your holiday spread.

FUDGE
2 Tbsp margarine
1-2/3 C sugar
2/3 C evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 C mini marshmallows
1-1/2 C semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine margarine, sugar, milk & salt in a fairly big saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cook 5 minutes stirring constantly. Start timing when bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat; stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows melt and blend. Spread into a an 8" square buttered pan.

I used pecans in mine and left the pieces pretty big. I made this over my lunch hour yesterday and brought it back to school. It was still soft so we started eating it with spoons, but by the end of the afternoon the rest was cut into some beautiful squares. In fact this morning my husband took some along with him hunting, yes there was some left!

It appears that I am into a candy mind set with these last two posts, I'll see if I can think of something next time that doesn't have sugar as the main ingredient :-).

Have a great day!

Do you like turtles?

Next week my husband is taking treats to work to share. During the month of December they take turns every Tue/Thur bringing in some goodies...great idea! I've been thinking about what will travel well, set well, not be messy, etc.... I love going over old recipes and trying to decide which one will be just right. I think we're going with the triple treat pizza and a snack mix of some kind. It's also Mike's birthday the day he's taking treats, so we'll double up.

Have you ever heard of home made turtle candies? I don't know where I got this recipe but it's one that has been with me forever. The directions are hard to believe, but here goes.

Turtles

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle brand)
chopped pecans or walnuts
1 package of chocolate candy melt (like almond bark)

Boil the UNOPENED can of milk for 4 hours in a pan covered with water. The water should cover the can of milk at all times so keep your tea kettle simmering with extra water to add when needed. I don't do a hard boil, just a nice low bubble. When finished, carefully remove from the pan and let it cool down - do not open it yet! Refrigerate it overnight.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and get your chopped nuts ready for the assembly line. NOW you can open the can, surprise!!!! It turned into caramel!

Take a small amount of the caramel and roll it in the chopped nuts. Next dip it into the melted chocolate and tap it on the edge of the pan to get the excess drips off. Place it on wax paper to harden. Repeat until you run out of caramel.

The original recipe called for a package of chocolate chips and 3/4 bar of paraffin wax melted together, but who wants to eat wax? That's a little old school for me. Use your favorite chocolate dipping recipe and I'm sure it will be fine.

These are soft and so delicious, you really must try to make it at least once. People can't believe that you can boil the can that long and it doesn't blow up! (knock on wood)

Ring Christmas Bells!

I'm excited about the Christmas season this year. Our family has decided to draw names which I think is a stupendous idea. No one has the extra cash to blow this year, so 10 of us have exchanged names with a $25 limit and that is that!

This Friday night a group of colleagues are having a dinner gathering at a local art gallery downtown. It's a white elephant exchange, and we have two great gifts lined up. I can't tell you what they are, because someone may read this who is attending.

My preschool children are making decorations and learning songs/finger plays for our open house next Wednesday night. We have a silent craft auction to raise money for school improvements. It's so much fun to see what people donate for it. Last year I got one of the most wonderful hot chocolate mixes (home made) I have ever tasted. Wish I had the recipe to share with you.

One of my little boys this year has funny quotes almost every day. I keep a journal of funnies, I think he will fill a book on his own. Yesterday he told me that he saw Jesus' family in a box, he was talking about a nativity scene! Today he told me that his dad played guitar with Metallica on stage!! I'm going to have to ask his dad about that one. Last week he looked under my table and was amazed that there was no gum there. :-) My days are so wonderful...except for the vomit I cleaned up yesterday morning.

Today we started our advent chains to help the children know how many days there are until Christmas. Do you know how long it takes even the most gifted 4/5 year old to put together a chain of 23 loops? Those small motor skills are under rated people, sooooo important!

We're still eating left overs, we have pie, turkey, stuffing. Tonight I had to do something different, we had kabobs with fried rice. Delish! Unfortunately the grill ran out of gas about 3 seconds after I put them on to cook, so we had to broil them. Still pretty tasty.

I'm on round 2 of my meds for my bronchitis, did I already mention that? I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on the 15th - I hope I finally have this thing kicked by then.

I'm missing my friends Nancy and Bill, we have been ships passing in the night lately. Mike and Bill have birthdays next week so we'll have to get together for some celebrating!

I don't have a recipe post today, I need to think about it more and didn't want to "not post" because of it. I do hope that your holiday season is off to a great start. Pay attention to all those boxes with Jesus family inside, after all we are celebrating his birthday!

Do you know where your wattle is?

A turkey has a pouch like area at the front of his throat which is called a wattle.

If you go to MY preschool, you know this and the fact that turkeys hide in trees. You also know that there were 102 people on the Mayflower and that about half of them died during the first winter. You know that American Indian babies are called a papoose and that the mothers hung them in trees to teach them to be quiet. We've been doing lots of bear hunting, enjoying our tee pee and and will tackle headbands on Monday/Tuesday. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Thanksgiving.

I made pumpkin bread Thursday night. There are many wonderful recipes for seasonal breads this time of the year. What makes it really special is what I like to spread on my pumpkin bread. Here is a recipe for a yummy cream cheese that take it to a whole new level - and it's so fast and EASY. This is also a winner on bagels.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread

1 - 8oz cream cheese (room temp or soften 20 seconds in microwave)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Combine all with a mixer and store in the refrigerator.

Nothing's been cookin @ Linda's

It's been a long dry spell, so sorry for those of you who check faithfully. I've got through a month of coughing, wheezing, not sleeping, going to the doctor, coughing, going to another doctor, not sleeping, going to the ER, breathing treatments, inhaler, taking new meds...and praying for relief! I guess I have bronchitis, don't like it much. I finally went to the Grand Poo-Pah of Doctors, he is a palmanologist, does that sound right? You know a doctor that can fix my lungs. My best friend Nancy (I'm calling her Nurse Nancy this week) is calling me daily to yell at me if my feet are not up. Today people at work were telling me that I didn't look great - they could lie. I'm getting more energy but I guess I need more makeup.
Enough about poor me.
I have developed a gigantic love for hot wings. I at one time was one of the biggest wuss' ever when it came to hot spicy food, but I think it must grow on you and you start to crave it. Maybe it's really an addiction food like coffee or chocolate or chocolate or chocolate.
I came up with the best way to have hot wings without all the mess, you'll like this. While I'm writing this I'm making a 1# batch for my husband and myself - you can change the amounts to suit the number of mouths you are feeding.

Buffalo Strips
1# chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips
flour
salt, pepper, garlic powder (Paula Deen's house seasoning mix)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp margarine

1/2 cup Frank's RedHot cayenne pepper sauce
2 tsp melted butter

Wash the chicken and dry with paper towels. Put your flour and seasonings into a plastic bag, shake your chicken in it. Heat the olive oil and margarine over med to med/high heat in a skillet and brown the chicken on each side until golden brown. Transfer to an oven proof baking sheet lined with foil that has been coated with non stick spray. Pop this into a 375* oven for about 20-30 minutes, it depends on how big your strips are.

Combine the sauce and butter and dip the chicken strips in it to coat. Serve with a blue cheese dressing for a dip.

So tasty, so easy to eat, it also get your nose to run if you have a stuffy head, which brings me back to the first topic. Oh brother!

Nibble, nibble, CRUNCH!

One of my preschool mom's sent this snack to school today. I asked her where she got it, she said it was from a Taste of Home spin off.....Tasteful something or other. I looked on my lunch hour for the Nov/Dec issue at HyVee, Hastings (our video/book store) and no luck. I looked online at school and it told me I had to have a special number to see the recipes, then I came home and typed in tasteofhome.com and what picture showed up immediately??? Chocolate and Caramel Crunch! I didn't know the name, but I did recognize the yummy picture. So without further adieu, here you go. It's gooooooood.

Chocolate Chex® Caramel Crunch

SUBMITTED BY: Chex® Cereal

"Plain brown sugar and butter turns into caramelly goodness that surrounds chocolate cereal squares for a scrumptious crunchy snack."

---

PREP TIME	15 Min
READY IN	15 Min

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 8 cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup vanilla baking chips

• DIRECTIONS
• 1. Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
  2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
  3. In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

And it's not even St. Patrick's day!

Last time we talked I was making a soup with ground beef, cabbage, etc..... not worth passing on. Sorry if you were looking forward to soup. Tonight however we had a Reuben Crescent casserole. Now in my world anything that is made with Pillsbury crescent rolls is most likely to be great. This recipe was from a taste of home magazine, and I tweaked it a bit because it had lots of meat and cheese and I just didn't think it needed that much. Here's my version, my husband Mike liked this one a lot. When I took it out of the oven he said, "Pretty impressive!" and he's a good judge of casseroles. ;- )

Reuben Crescent Casserole

2 tubes (8 oz ea) refrigerated crescent rolls.
8 oz Swiss cheese slices (NOT wrapped processed cheese)
3/4 pound sliced deli corned beef
1 can (14 oz) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
1/2 cup thousand Island salad dressing
1 egg white, beaten
1 tsp caraway seeds

Unroll one tube of crescents into one long rectangle and press onto the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish, pinch together seams. Bake @ 375* for 8-10 min or until golden brown.

Layer with half of the cheese and all of the corned beef. Combine sauerkraut and salad dressing; spread over beef. Top with remaining cheese. Top with second tube of crescent dough. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until heated through and crust is golden brown. Let stand for 5 min before cutting. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE* I think it's pretty important to get a good quality 1000 Isle. salad dressing - not a generic brand. I think there is definitely a difference in the taste. I think I bought Wish Bone and that was good. The other thing is to make sure you don't get the sauerkraut that is sweet - just the regular old Franks Kraut. Make sure you squeeze the heck out of it so it's pretty dry.

What's in that sandwich?

Today is a cloudy, windy, and occasionally drizzly day. In other words, it's a day to cook. I'm in the middle of two brand new recipes. The first is a sandwich that steps outside the box, waaaay outside the box.

Last week for snack time one of my preschool girls brought a sandwich with bacon, peanut butter and banana....I think. Well, that started me thinking - and you know what happens then, I'm going to try something NEW! It just so happens that my husband brought up a Better Homes & Gardens magazine from Oct. 2007 to show me a recipe for minestrone soup. That was my original goal, to make a pot of soup. As I am perusing through the articles I stumble upon a peanut butter apple bacon sandwich, gasp! I made it for lunch today, and it definitely rates a repeat performance. I hope that you will step outside YOUR box and give this a try. I kept the PB to a minimum because of the strong flavor, and next time I think I'll put in 3 dashes of the cayenne, just for fun!

PEANUT BUTTER-APPLE-BACON SANDWICHES

1/4 cup peach preserves
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
8 slices whole grain bread
1 large yellow or green crisp apple, cored and very thinly sliced
8 slices smoked bacon, crisp-cooked & drained
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2-3 Tbsp butter, softened

In a small bowl stir together preserves and cayenne pepper. Place 4 slices of bread on a work surface; spread slices with preserves. Top with apples and bacon. Spread one side of remaining bread slices with peanut butter; place spread side down, over apples and bacon. Spread sandwich tops with some of the butter.
Preheat griddle or very large skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches, buttered side down on griddle. Carefully spread unbuttered bread with butter. Cook each side until golden and heated through.

This makes 4 sandwiches, I prepared all of the ingredients but only made 2 sandwiches. I'll save the rest for a lunch later this week.

The other recipe that I put together was a soup made from hamburger, cabbage, celery, onion, tomato sauce, etc.... I'll give it the taste test tonight and let you know what the verdict is. ;-)

Famous quotes

Here's a few little gems from my little gems at preschool.


"Him said a bad word" said the first student,
the second student replied,
"What did it look like??"


I'm going camping in Mexikota!


A polliwog turns into a calipuss.


My mom doesn't have any money,
but I'm going to ask her to buy some.

Apple Crisp, Apple Crunch, Apple Crumble

I just got home today from a teachers conference in Omaha. It's wonderful when you come home inspired by a new idea that you want to try, I have several bouncing around in my head. One of the techie guys showed how to make a smart board for under $50!! One of our teachers is trying that project tomorrow - a smart board is absolutely amazing. If you don't know what it is, Google it and see for yourself.

I got a phone call from my next door neighbor asking for a recipe for apple crisp. I don't cook a lot of fruity things, for some reason I have to be in the right mood for it. Apple pie will never be my first choice, I'm more of a pecan or pumpkin kind of gal. Anyway, back to the apple crisp. Pat's daughter had sampled a recipe I made and called to ask her mom for it...it took me more than 2 hours to realize that she was talking about a recipe I got from the apple orchard lady MANY years ago. I think this is a recipe that you apple pie type people will appreciate. This recipe is dedicated to my wonderful neighbors!

DEGROOTS APPLE CRISP

4 cups apples peeled and chopped (a tarter cooking apple)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Combine all of the above ingredients and pour into a sprayed 8x10 pan, then...

top with:
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 package butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/2 tsp butter flavoring
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Sprinkle over the top of the apples and Bake @ 350* for 45 min to 1 hour. This will vary depending on what kind of apples you use and how firm they are.

Sunday, the best day of the week!

I LOVE Sunday. My husband makes a fabulous pot of coffee from freshly ground beans, we get ready for church to hang out with people that we really enjoy, & we come home to have a simple or extravagant lunch...depends on how hungry we are. Today Mike is going to mow his mom's yard and then do ours. It's supposed to rain so he's trying to get the wheels turning. I'm doing some laundry and packing up for a conference that we leave for by 6 AM in the morning. I'm traveling with 8 other teachers in a giant white van, road trips are the best! Of course we'll need some snack for that as well.
Later Mike and I will take some time for a movie, and I'm cooking up some buffalo wings for that. It's been forever since we watched a movie at home. So many things have kept up busy on the weekends, and with the new Fall programs on tv, there have been some OK choices. See why I like Sunday??
I made a salad that is a cole slaw type recipe but it has a twist, there's noodles in it. Sounds strange, but it's quite yummy. I'm not a huge cole slaw fan, but I do enjoy this recipe. You can use whatever kind of noddle you like, I grabbed campanelle yesterday because I liked the trumpet shape of the pasta. Be creative!

		Pasta Cucumber Salad Directions Cook pasta according to package directions in a medium sized saucepan. Drain and cool the pasta. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar until smooth. Place the pasta, cabbage, onions, peppers and cucumber in a serving bowl. Pour the dressing over it and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours for the flavors to blend. OK people, I don't know why I can't get rid of the dots before each line of that recipe, how dumb!

Mr. & Mrs.

Look at my kids! Heather & Nate, isn't it a great photo??? Thank you Lindsay!

Here is Heather & Rissa (Amber looking away) and below is the most beautiful wedding cake EVER!! Pat makes cake like no one else, she is the best best best cake baker.


This brings such wonderful memories flooding back. SO MUCH FUN!

Last weekend we went to Lincoln again, this time to move James into a house of his own! Ah, the pride of ownership. The grass to mow, the sidewalks to shovel, but I do believe that having your car in a garage in the dead of a Nebraska winter is worth it all. Woo hoo!

Today I'm going to share a broccoli salad recipe that I got from a friend named Karen. It's fast and it's easy.

Broccoli Salad
1/2 of a large head of broccoli
1/2 of a large head of cauliflower
1/2 large red onion sliced in super thin strips
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon = fried, drained, crumbled
Dressing:
1 cup mayo or miracle whip
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vinegar

Clean the broccoli and cauliflower and cut into bit size florets. Add the remaining salad ingredients and set aside.
Combine the dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour over the salad and toss gently, serve right away!

Hellooooo, anybody out there??

Yes, I am still here. I took a hiatus from this blog - but now I'm BACK! So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. The most important news is that my little girl got married! Heather and Nate's wedding was September 13th, and it was fabulous! I woke up the next day and wanted to do it all over again.

I really would love to post a picture, but I have none. I tried to get some from facebook, but I'm stupid I guess, can't get them to go where I want, and one I did find that I liked of Heather & Ashley is gone....where I know not. So until the photo guy or someone gives me some pictures I have zilch, nothing to show friends, I'm an unhappy mum.

The recipe I'm going to share with you is a new favorite! It's from a Taste of Home from a year ago. My friend Kristin & her mom shared some wonderful cooking magazines with me recently, and this little jewel was among them. I'll be putting more up from this source, you can count on it!

SPECIAL BANANA NUT BREAD

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 - 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 med)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shopped walnuts of pecans, divided (I cut this back to 1-1/2 cups)

GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese & sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Add bananas and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Add to creamed mixture and fold in 1 cup of the nuts.

Transfer to two greased 8x4x2" loaf pans that have been sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts. Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

In a small bowl whisk the glaze ingredients and drizzle over loaves. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Makes 2 loaves!!! Good, good.

Holy Chicken Enchilada Batman!

Did I mention that we have a wedding coming up??? I feel a bit sorry for the people in my life that have had to listen to me plan, debate and dream over the last few months. When you plan a wedding, it tend to monopolize your entire existence. Heather & Nate have done the lions share of planning, but a few things have come my way. I posted pictures of us making corsages, and today we finished up the table favours. I know, we waited till the last minute....however I did start a new school year and have been preparing a classroom for a bunch of new little munchkins. Anyway we are counting down and there are a handful (+ 1) of days left until the big day. I think one of the things I am most excited about is having all of the people that mean the most to us all together in the same room. Family from Wisconsin, California, Colorado, even friends from across the ocean!

I guess the above paragraph was to explain why I have not posted in many moons. I am sorry for those of you who are loyally checking this blog to see what's new. I know I'm disappointed when I look at my daughters page and don't see a new post, so I have let you down. For that I apologize, but be warned that I probably will not put anything new on until after the wedding. I am by the way super excited, and can't wait to see my baby girl walking down that aisle with a HUGE smile on her face, happily ever after is about to begin.

Another wonderful thing in my life these days is the fact that the Nebraska Cornhuskers are winning!!!!!!! I am such a big husker fan, it's just silly. I am SOOOOO proud of our team and am thrilled that BO knows football. Go Big Red!

As a distraction from our busy schedules, we went to an away football game Friday night with our friends Nancy & Bill (they are a host couple at the wedding). Two hours in the car can be quite relaxing and it was a great time to read the paper and just 'be'. I found a recipe in the USA Weekly section that turned out to be pretty good. We really enjoy Tex-Mex and Mexican food, this is one that I will pull out of my hat again.

EASY CHICKEN & CHEESE ENCHILADAS

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Picante sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
6 flour tortillas (6") warmed
1 small tomato, chopped,
1 green onion, sliced

Stir the soup, sour cream, Picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
Stir 1 cup Picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.
Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side up in an 11x8 shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining Picante sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish with foil.
Bake @ 350* for 40 min. or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Garnish with the tomato & onion.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!

Monday was my birthday. My husband and I went to Sioux City for the day to shop and just bum around, it was a wonderful day. We had a late lunch at a restaurant called Garfields, I had an amazing salad there. I'm going to go to try and find a copycat recipe online somewhere. It was a lettuce salad that had feta cheese, glazed walnuts, cranberries, a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, etc... De-lish! I will order it again. I got flowers from my kids and my husband, candy from a preschool family (their kids have been gone for at least 5 years!), new Paula Deen recipe books, lots of cards and phone calls, what a blessing to have such thoughtful family and friends. Thank you everyone.

Now I fully understand that the weather today was balmy and hot, but do you realize that the football season is close enough that you can almost smell it?? I'm not talking about stinky uniforms, I'm talking about tailgate food, half time buffets, finger food at it's finest, YUM! I've been seriously considering chili soup for the weekend, even though it's hot. It just seems right.
We'll be cheering for the Norfolk Panthers Friday night, and screaming loudly for the Huskers Saturday night. It's a shame that we have to watch it via pay per view, but if we must - we must.
When I was considering if we should buy the game, it didn't take me long to realize that if we went somewhere to watch it we'd invest far more in beverages, food, and tip than the cost of the game. Plus you have to gamble on how good your seat will be, how much noise there is competing with the announcer, and forget about stretching out with your feet up. Decision made, we WILL watch it at home in the comfort of our living room.

I mentioned chili soup, I thought about wings, but I think that I will be making potato skins for sure. Maybe some caramel corn (see Feb 14th post), chicken tortilla dip (Jan 27th), oh - the possibilities are endless. Wherever you gather with friends this weekend, if it involves football or not, have a great time and try a new recipe!

Game Day Potato Skins

Serving Size : 6

6 med Baking potatoes
1/3 c Butter
3/4 c Cheddar cheese -- shredded
6 slices Bacon -- fried and crumbled
1/3 c Green onion -- thinly sliced
Sour cream
Salt & Pepper

Scrub potatoes, dry, then pierce with fork several times. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake in 375 oven for about 1 hour or until tender. Let stand until cook enough to handle.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out center, leaving 1/8" potato in shell. Cover.Chill shells up to 2 days until ready to use for the skins.

(If desired, add the 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter, salt and pepper to potato centers to use for mashed potatoes.)

When ready to prepare skins, melt the 1/3 cup butter. Brush shells with the butter, inside and out.Place, cut side up, on baking sheet. Bake in a 500 oven for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and garnish with sour cream, cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions.

Brush off those book bags!

It's that time again, time to pick up a new notebook or two, some pens, markers, etc... school is here! I've been spending HOURS and HOURS in my room in preparation for my open house this Saturday morning. I know you have heard me talk about it all summer, but when you move from one classroom to another...many skeletons are uncovered. I have sorted, filed, cleaned, cut, and surfed for new ideas. I'm getting close, tomorrow should be a definitive day. The rest of our school (grades K-8) started today, my official first day is September 2nd. I'm getting anxious!

Today's title reminds me of one of my preschool kids last year - I asked them to go get their backpacks in the hall and pick up their mail from their mailboxes. One of the children looked at me and said, "Is that what they called them in the olden days?" I guess the politically correct term is book bag, lesson learned.

Last Friday I worked my last day at the SurgiCenter. I've worked very part time for the last 3 years, this summer I worked about 4 days a week scanning charts and doing a little work at the front desk. I am going to miss those friends, they are a great bunch of people. On my last day they had a lunch for me with lots of good food, I have to get the recipe for this salad that they called a LITTLE KING salad. It was goooood. Thank you to all of my girls there (Doctors too!) that made it so much fun to be there! I will miss you all very much.

Since it's getting closer to Fall and football season, I thought of this great hot caramel dip that I LOVE. Last year the orchards around us had a miserable frost so the apples were scarce. Things are looking good for this crop, so get the ingredients and be ready to whip this up the next time you are invited to gather with friends.

HOT CARAMEL DIP
(makes about 3 cups)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
apple slices - use something that is a little tart

1. Mix together all ingredients except apple in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
2. Pour into crock pot, set on low.
3. Dip fresh apple slices into hot caramel.

Variation: For fun you can add 1/2 cup of peanut butter to this to give it a new twist!

I WENT TO CHICACO!

OK, I know you are thinking I traveled to the windy city, but you are incorrect! I went to hear the band Chicago with about 5000 other people. It was a sunny, slightly hot day, but the music caused me to not even think about the temperatures. I traveled back through time in my mind and revisited my high school days through the many Chicago hits.
Dances, football games, driving main, etc... so many happy memories. I know this picture looks like we're kind of far away, but don't worry... we wandered around and we had our trusty binoculars.















This was just the end of my weekend - there were some big things happening ALL weekend. Saturday Mike and I loaded up the dog and drove to Lincoln. We wanted to see the house that our son is looking to buy. It met our approval! The fact that it is a bit of a fixer upper is a plus in our eyes. A lower purchase price and then make it what you want, not living with someone else's color choices. If you saw the present colors of the bedrooms, you would totally understand! Mike is itching to spend a week (or two!) doing demolition and reconstructing a brand new look with our son.

Just a couple of blocks down the road was another part of the weekend. While the boys went camping I went to see Heather's new classroom. It's unbelievable that it is located about 2 blocks away from her brother's new house. I can't believe how B I G her room is, wow. So many cupboards she doesn't have many of them filled. It's going to be a fun room, a happy room, a learning room. Isn't this tiny sink cute??? Heather's not going to love the pained expression on her face in this photo, but it's rare that she doesn't take a good picture.
She will be a fabulous Kindergarten teacher, she just doesn't know it yet. Thanks Nate for driving us around and cooking a wonderful dinner.







This is what the boys did, set up some tents, built a blazing fire and tried to keep the dog out of the water. Maddie loves the water, she had a great time. Isn't this photo great?? My son takes some insanely good snaps.

No recipe today, you'll have to read a copy of Taste of Home (wink wink).

Posies NOT rosies

Last night was a super fun night. I had four devoted and tireless friends over to make corsages and boutonnieres (spelling?) for the wedding. These girls gave so much time and effort into this project and I can't thank them enough. We worked from 6:30 till almost 11:00 and we ended up with 16 flowers for girls and 7 flowers for boys. Thanks to Donna - the president of the posie pushers, we had some beautiful results. She was a patient instructor and really made it enjoyable for us. Thanks again Donna, Kristin, Sue, & Nancy, I am so grateful for my friends!















The last time Nate and Heather were home I made a chicken salad and they were asking about a recipe. I'll do my best to recreate it here.

Chicken Salad

4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup mayo or salad dressing
1 tsp paprika
1 handful of dried cranberries (craisins)
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions or 1/4 cup regular onion chopped
1/2 cup green pepper chopped fine
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
(I have also used sunflower seeds but if you don't like nuts, just skip it!)
1 tsp house seasoning (see next recipe)

Mix all together and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Chill for an hour before serving.

The house seasoning I referred to is in a Paula Deen cookbook. I use it on everything, and I mix up batches for my kids all the time. Be sure to try this.

Paula Deen's House Seasoning

| Edit...

My Notes:

My Notes

ONLY YOU see your private notes, and they print with the recipe.

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

I usually put this in an empty spice container with a sprinkle type lid, just make sure it has a lid on it.

Sassy summer salads sound sumptous :-)

OK, it's been a week and I'm a posting failure. But I'll give you two for the price of one! Today we're talking summer salads! This first one is from the Land 'O Lakes web site and they suggested putting 8 oz of cheese cubes in as well as 1 tomato. I skipped the tomato and added pimento, and I omitted the cheese altogether. If the other ingredients sound better to you by all means switch it up! This is a salad that I used to eat at a local steak house that is no longer in business. It's one that brings good memories of prime rib and good friends.

CORN RELISH SALAD

1/3		cup sugar
1/3		cup vinegar
1/4		cup vegetable oil
3		cups cooked fresh corn cut off cobs*
1		small jar of chopped pimentos
1/2		cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4		cup chopped onion
1/2		teaspoon celery seed
1/4		teaspoon salt

Stir together all ingredients in large bowl. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Stir before serving.

*Substitute 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen whole kernel corn, thawed, drained.

Salad #2 is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that my sister in law Ruth sent my way. Since I have prepared this a couple of weeks ago, I have heard a certain buzz word on all of the cooking shows that I probably was paying no attention to before. Here's the word.....EDAMAME. For 500 points, do you know what that is without looking it up? It's pronounced ed-ah-mom-ay, yes that's right.....it's soybeans! They are green and they will most likely be found in the freezer section of your store. This salad is better after it sets a few hours, it's a sophisticated taste that I really enjoyed. If you are not a cilantro fan this one may not be for you.

ZESTY THREE-BEAN SALAD

2 cups frozen sweet soybeans (edamame)
1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) rinsed and drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice

Prepare soybeans according to package directions. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl combine cooked soybeans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, onion and cilantro.
In a small bowl whisk together oil, lime peel, lime juice, and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour over bean mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Stir well before serving. (Makes 10 servings)

Time to run, it's lunch time! Bye for now.

Farmers' Market

One of the true joys of this season is enjoying the first tastes of summer. My friend Sue shared with me that they had their first BLT sandwiches from their home grown tomatoes on Thursday evening. I'll admit I was jealous, our tomatoe plants are far from producing anything that can be put on a sandwich. My sister in law sent home some superb cucumbers that I made a salad with this morning. Sooooo good, thank you so much!

Mike and I went to the farmers market this morning and bought some Uecker sweet corn, it was fantastic! We had it for supper with a flat iron steak, the cucumber salad and a baked potato. That's sounds fantastic all by itself, but the real peace de resistance (is that how it's spelled???) was dessert.

This morning Mike was thumbing through the May issue of BH&G and he found a cheesecake bar recipe. We have a recipe that we dearly love that is made with crescent rolls & cream cheese (see Feb. 9th post) and it's been a favorite since our kids were little. I will tell you that this new recipe is now a family favorite, and I haven't even shared it with the rest of our family yet. Mike and I loved it, it was very very very very very good. With our further adieu, here it is:

COCONUT-BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup finely crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup ground pecans (or finely chopped)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp 1/2 & 1/2 (or milk)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries.

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease 9x13 baking pan; set aside.
For crust, in small saucepan heat butter over medium heat until the color of light brown sugar. remove from heat; set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together graham cracker crumbs, flour, coconut, pecans and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in butter until combined. Evenly press on bottom of prepared pan. Bake 8-10 min. or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and 2/3 cup sugar on medium until combined. Add eggs, cream & vanilla. Beat until combined. Pour over hot crust and sprinkle blueberries on top.
Bake for 24-30 minutes or until center appears to be set. Cool in pan on rack. Cover and refrigerate. Cut into bars and store covered in refrigerator.
When I removed this from the oven I sprinkled about 1-2 Tbsp of raw sugar on top to add a little crunch and extra sweetness. I was afraid the fresh blueberries might be a little sour so I was just being extra careful.

These are great!! I'm taking some to Lincoln tomorrow to see if they pass the next panel of taste testers :-).

Today is Tuesday....Tuesday spaghetti, Monday string beans....

Do you know the Eric Carle book Today is Monday? Kind of a fun one for little people. Even though today was Tuesday it felt like Monday, I am excited however that BIG BROTHER is on in 45 minutes....it must be Tuesday.

I am a hopeless BB fan! I love the show, I thrive on the controversy and idiotic people that are on every season. There is always a girl with a high pitched screechy voice, a wholesome all American Midwest boy/girl, a representative of the gay community that you can usually spot immediately (not so easy this year), an old geiser, a Jesus follower, a few big gossipers, what a mix! It's like a train wreck, you know you shouldn't watch but you just can't help it.

I'm sorry I didn't get back to you for awhile. Same old things keeping me busy: 1. my classroom 2. my summer job 3. my girl's wedding! That last one is really fun :-). I was looking online last night for an idea we had for a table favor and I got a phone call today that what I ordered is not available...great. I either have to change colors or do some more looking.

I'm posting a recipe for a dessert that I usually make in February because of the colors red and white. The reason I dug it out is because when I went to HyVee today they had beautiful angel food cakes for only $2.88 !!!!!!! Super deal. Also this is a dessert that doesn't have to bake, so it's the perfect summer treat. Hope it's one of your favorites.

CHERRY DESSERT
1 Angel food cake cut into 1 " cubes
1 large container of cool whip
1 8oz cream cheese-room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 can of cherry pie filling (today I used peach!)

Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in cool whip and angel food pieces. Pat into a 9x13 pan and top with pie filling. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Oh yea, it's good.

PS remember to buy your cool whip the day before, it has to thaw unopened 6 hours in the refrigerator before you use it, I always seem to be in a hurry and you just can't rush the whip!

It's all about the toes

This was one of the most side splitting days I've had in many moons! Nancy and I went with Heather to a place called Davids nails. If you look closely in the mirror you can see Heather taking the snap shot. When that little girl in pink started to rub the bottom of Nancy's foot she erupted into laughter that stopped traffic! Everyone on the place stopped to see what was going on. This was only the 2nd time I had a pedicure, I really enjoyed it. As you can see in the second photo, they put these cute little flowers on top of the polish. Sooooo cute



I'm sure that we will have to do this again for the wedding.











My friend Carol that lives in Texas gave me a recipe for quick little snack mix once that I have used many times. We'll call it:

Carol's Crunch Mix

1 box Oh's cereal
1 jar dry roasted peanuts (or whatever kind of peanut you like)
1 bag m&m's candy

Open all containers, dump, stir, and eat. Store in an airtight container.

Nap time

Napping on the deck....
isn't this what summertime is all about???

Gumbo-licious!

Today I'm going to my classroom again, I'll bet you are tired of hearing that. It's unimaginable how much there is to do. It is just so difficult to organize and put away because there are some old things to move out, and I don't have the shelving that I need. I'll just do what I can, I know there are things to pitch, or share with others. I'm in the process of joining a website called Norfolkfreecycle. You can go there and look at things that are free, or you can offer things to other people. What a great idea! I guess this is a nationwide organization, there is probably one where you live.

I've been promising this recipe to a friend and finally here it is. This is an alternative to a
tomato(y) sloppy joe, tavern, loose meat sandwich......whatever you call it! My friend Sue who lived by us on Jefferson back in the early days made this for her family. The only other sandwich I might like better would be the original tastee beef's that our local mom and pop restaurant on 1st street still makes. Give it a try and see how it rates at your house!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 cup onion, chopped
10 1/2 oz can chicken gumbo soup
1 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs mustard
salt/pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain and add remaining ingredients, let warm fully through. Serve on hamburger buns with cheese and pickle slices.

What color is your cheese?

The fourth of July was great! We had family & friends around us for more than 3 days....what could be better? My nephew had been married in Texas back in June. We had a reception for him and his beautiful new bride, it was fun to be able to see the dress on her instead of just in a picture. Because of that commitment I did have to miss a wedding of a dear friend, so Sarah if you get a chance to read this please know that our prayers and thoughts were with you!

Friends from Wisconsin came through Saturday morning. Daryl and Bridget are the kind of friends that you may not see for a year or three, but the minute you are together conversations pick up right where they left off. They have 4 BEAUTIFUL children that were so fun to be around, even the big ones! They should be very proud of the people they have created, God has blessed their family immensely.

Our city did the big bang boom on Saturday night - the 5th. We have a pretty good view of them from our front yard, so we often have people over. A friend (Kelly) gave me some recipes to try, I had time to put 2 of them together so I'll share, they both were delicious! I really enjoy getting recipes from friends that I know share my love for food. I don't believe in secret recipes as you probably guessed ;-)

I hope that you all have had time to rest from the big weekend and are having a marvelous Monday. I'm going to my classroom to start organizing my many boxes. Talk to you soon!

Blue Cheese and Toasted Pecan Spread **** (4 stars!)

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz crumbled blue cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs butter, softened
4-5 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley - I used fresh Italian flat leaf
1/4 cup milk, half & half, or whipping cream
1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients except onions and nuts in food processor or mixing bowl. Add more milk/cream depending upon consistency desired. Fold in pecans and green onions. Chill 4 hours to overnight. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week. Remove from refrigerator 30 min. prior to serving for easier spreading.

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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

3 cans chickpeas, drain and rinse
1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper coarsely chopped (store bought in a jar)
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp water
1/2 lemon - juice only
2 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
paprika and chopped parsley leaves for garnish

In the bowl of a food processor, place the chickpeas and red bell pepper. On a cutting board mash the garlic cloves with 1/4 tsp of salt to a smooth paste with the side of a knife. Add this to the processor along with the crushed red pepper, water, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and pepper. Process until smooth scrape down side as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt & additional lemon juice if necessary. Transfer to a wide shallow bowl for serving. Drizzle with additional olive oil if desired and sprinkle top with parsley & paprika. Serve at room temperature with pita chips for dipping. Kelly also likes carrot sticks with this!

Let them eat cake!

OK, I am being very attentive to my sight this week. I'm going to cut right to the chase, I made a brand new recipe tonight that I think would be great for the 4th! It's a 4 ingredient cake that you can serve simply or jazz it up with garnish. Here we go!

Ruby Slipper Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
2 eggs

Beat together all of the ingredients for 2 minutes. Pour 1/3 of cake mixture into a well greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of a 3 oz. package of raspberry flavored Jell-O on top of cake batter. Carefully spoon on 1/3 more of cake batter and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 of gelatin powder. Add remainder of cake batter smoothing carefully to keep layers from mixing. Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

When I sliced this it was beautiful with the pink swirls! I sprinkled each piece with powdered sugar and then topped it with a dollop of cool whip. It was really good! If I were serving this for guests I would probably want some fresh raspberries for a garnish. For the 4th of July raspberries & blueberries would be perfect. And of course, Paula Deen would throw in a sprig of mint. :-)

I'm tossing around lots of recipe ideas for the weekend. I'll be coming back with a more definite menu soon. Buh-bye.

July is peeking around the corner!

Monday, yup it's Monday. It's been a good day though, even for a Monday. I worked at school this morning, trying to get the remainder of my school things out of my old room and into my new room so that my friend Sarah can make my old room her new room. Got that?? Still a bit to do, I'll try to finish up tomorrow so that I can begin to make sense of my unorganized explosion in my new surroundings. My one comfort is that my computer is plugged in and when I don't know which way to turn, I can always sit down and feel at peace. :-)

A wonderfully gifted young man named Jeremy Scott was trying to make it to the Olympics in pole vault and didn't make the height he needed in his jump yesterday. He tied for 6th place and needed to be in the top 3 to be a contender. I admire Jeremy so much! He graduated with my son James, and they have continued to be great friends even though the miles have split them far apart. They stay connected playing video games online, they are lucky to have such a great friendship. I've never met anyone that is a better role model for today's youth. Jeremy works so hard and has such a wonderful attitude, I'm proud to call him a friend. Only 4 more years until you can try it again Jeremy!

Today I'm going to share a recipe for Calico beans. Sometimes is nice to have this meatier version of a baked bean. This was really popular about 15 years ago, so maybe some of you youngsters haven't tried this. ;-) Instead of baking it in the oven, you could throw it into a slow cooker and let it marry on a low setting for several hours.

CALICO BEANS

1 lg can pork and beans, not drained
1 can kidney beans - drained
1 can butter beans - drained
1 can butter beans - drained
1/2 lb bacon, cut up
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion - diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

In a skillet brown the bacon, ground beef and onion, drain off any fat. Stir in the four cans of beans and pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and salt - pour this evenly over the beans. Bake 1 hour in a 350* oven. (If you are using a slow cooker, fold the sauce directly into the beans and stir it occasionally)

??

Where did my picture go? When I viewed my blog - the picture on the right hand column was absent! Do you know what happened?? I hope this is temporary and it will show back up, and then I'll just feel silly for posting this. :-)

In God's hands.....

We went to Lincoln Friday night to stay with Heather. We took our dog Maddie along on the road trip. She sniffed up air at 65 miles per hour and was terribly excited when we got to our destination. We woke to an "egg bake" breakfast and went off to the farmers market to find treasures! We picked up an asiago pesto bread that is sooooooooo good.

The day was fun, we found a men's suit store Emsud’s Clothiers and met the best tailor in the world! He moved here from Bosnia after being held 3 months in a concentration camp. He reminded us many times, "Trust me, I am tailor!" He has the most beautiful suits (don't mention polyester to him) that are wool and other high end quality fabrics. He told my husband that every suit in his store would fit him, because he can tailor it perfectly. It was a most enjoyable visit, also the guys all left with lots of socks (5 pair each!) compliments of Emsud. Now Mike has a suit that will be perfect for the wedding coming up in September.

I shopped a bit at VanMaur, I did not find a tailor that could make any dress fit me. I am still in search of a wedding outfit. I'm not sure where to go, but I had better decide pretty soon.

We went to have supper at my son's apartment, he offered to cook for us. James is quite the entertainer, he likes to fire up the grill and whipped up some wonderful burgers.

We had just arrived at the apartment when I received a horrible phone call. A Bible study friend was desperately searching for a parents phone number because something awful happened. It was a birthday party and a group of kids were swimming. One of the little boys was found in the deep end of the water, no one knew how long he had been there. Two life guards, parents, kids, all keeping a careful watch - and yet something can happen so quickly. The child was pulled out, CPR was administered, and praise be to God.....he was brought back. I was told he had no pulse, it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. He went to the ER and God has healed him, he's home tonight. Please offer up a thank you prayer on behalf of this beautiful boy who will be in first grade this Fall. Also pray for healing for all of those who were there to witness how fragile life is, none of them will ever forget what almost happened.

Today we were home for church, home to greet our new teacher and his wife that moved here from Wisconsin, home to do laundry and other mundane jobs that didn't seem so bad. Home is a good place to be.

I'm looking forward to the 4th of July weekend. Lots of relatives will be in town so there's going to be some fun cooking! I'm not posting a recipe today, but I'll make up for it later in the week.

Be safe!