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.