7/31/2009

Parmesan Garlic Croutons - Recipe


I enjoy croutons every so often as an addition to the salads we have but do not really like buying boxes of them because we never seem to use them all.
I decided to take the plunge and make them for myself and can say that they were quite tasty!

Alrighty, here is what I did to make them.

1 1/2 cups of crusty bread (day old)
2 tbsp of melted butter
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt

Cut the bread into cubes and place in bowl.
Add cheese, garlic and pepper to the melted butter, stir and pour over the bread.
Toss the bread so that all pieces are covered.
Place on pan, place in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Let cool and enjoy!
Store any left in an air tight container for a day or two.

Honestly, I do not think that you will have any left.
The boys were eating them way before they made it to the salad. :)


7/30/2009

Free Tacos @ Jack in the Box - Freebies





When: August 4th

Where: Jack in the Box (at those participating)

Time: 12:00am - 11:59pm

Needed: A coupon

Fine Print: Only one per guest, per visit. One offer per coupon. Not vaild in combination with any other offer.

Sauerkraut and Onions


I have to say at there is nothing better than fresh sauerkraut and onions on a hot dog.
My mom used to make this tasty treat when we would have hot dogs, which was not all that often.
It is very easy and simple to make.

Take one sweet onion and cook in a little butter, when translucent add in sauerkraut.
Stir and cook over medium to low heat.
You will need to add in a bit more butter (1 tbsp?), continue to cook until the sauerkraut is light in color and not crunchy.
I know not a full recipe but this is how I learned to cook it.

Psst... it is also quite yummy all by itself. :)

Please Welcome Henry....

Henry is my little hamster over there ---> in my side bar.
Please feed and play with him while you are here, he really is friendly. :)

So, with the addition of Henry to my blog I thought why not throw in a quiz.
*scratches head*
When was the last time I posted one?!
Quite some time ago apparently.
Find out what animal you are most like, it is a quick and simple quiz.
My results do fit me quite well; perhaps that is why we have two doggies in the house.
Please share your results with me.

Take the Animal Quiz.


what animal are you most like?
Your Result: dog
 

you are always so loyal to your friends that maybe when you do not want to see them most they always want to see you. you are the happiest and usually the most joyfull in the room you are the one who always comes in with a smile and it's always easy for others to tell when something is not right.

fish
 
rabbit
 
armidillo
 
turtle
 
Cat
 
snake
 
monkey
 
what animal are you most like?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz


7/28/2009

Mowing the lawn can be fun!


The boys actually fought over mowing the lawn while we were away.
You see my dad purchased a new mower this year that the boys just could not wait to get on.
I never heard a peep about how they had to wear ear protection while mowing (Nate used ear plugs) unlike what I get when they have to use the leaf blower at home.



The boys had four weeks of mowing fun and have been begging us to get one.
We do not have even 1/2 as much land or grass as my parents.
Sadly they must downgrade to our regular riding lawn mower, the horror!
Perhaps next year they will be able to use my dad's John Deere Utility Tractor.
*I can say that Nate tried but ended up tearing through one of my mom's flower garden. Oops!
Nope, he is not ready yet for that tractor.*






Mmm...HoHos




mmm... HoHos

The last time I had one was when dh and I were in the Hoh Rain Forest, in Wa. (We stopped and ate our Hohos by the Hoh river-beautiful area.)

They are still quite tasty.
I totally enjoyed them. :)

7/27/2009

Creamy Baked Chicken Breats - Recipe

We tried this recipe when we arrived back home because we simply wanted something different.

The recipe is easy enough to make and has wonderful flavor.
Needless to say there were four happy people in the house that night.


* Exported from MasterCook *


Creamy Baked Chicken Breasts


Recipe By: Heavenly Delights (Great Plains)
Serving Size: 8
Categories: Main Meal

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 chicken breast without skin
8 Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken 98% Fat Free Condensed Soup
1 cup seasoned croutons
1/4 cup melted butter

  • Arrange chicken in a lightly greased baking dish.
  • Top with cheese slices.
  • Spread soup evenly over all and top with crushed croutons.
  • Drizzle with melted butter.
  • Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
  • Use the extra sauce to top your baked potatoes.

Source:
"The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook-Winning Recipes from hometown America by"
Copyright:
"1999"
Yield:
"8 "
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


7/26/2009

Helpful tip: for colander usage...




kids+baths=oodles of toys

Nobody ever wants to clean up those toys and if you have ever stepped on one because you were too lazy short on time, you know exactly how much they can hurt.
Not like I would have ever done anything like that, nope not me.
Silly toys.

I thought I would pass along this wonderful helpful tip that I used when the boys were younger to keep their bath toys dry, all together and ready for the next time.

Instead of just letting those toys sit at the bottom of the tub once your child is done, use a colander.
Yes, that is correct an ordinary handy-dandy kitchen colander.
Have them place their toys in the colander, leave it in your tub to dry and then remove if necessary.
All the toys are kept together, the excess water will drain in tub (not on the floor) and your child will have fun collecting all the toys to be picked up.

Simple, easy and saves a whole bunch of time.


7/25/2009

Don Pepino Spaghetti Sauce


Do you think I brought enough back home?

19 cans we tansported back from PA and we have used four already; perhaps not.

This Reminds me of that great Italian Jersey spaghetti sauce growing up as a kid. *drool*

This is the best spaghetti sauce one can buy. *IMHO*

All you have to do is heat it up and enjoy.

I will admit that I do use our stick blender on the sauce, then pop in either Italian Sausage or meatballs in the sauce and simmer all day in the crock pot.
It really is oh.so.good.

Read more about Don Pepino sauce.

7/24/2009

Thirteen....



Well, it is official as of today, we have a full fledged teenager in the house.
(I know scary right?!)
Nate.
It seems like just yesterday that he was born.
*sigh*


He tends to give us a run for our money mentally (way too smart for his own good-this is true) but he has such a golden heart.
I'm not sure what these teen years hold for us but I am looking forward to watching him grow and mature.
He has his sites set high for his future and I only wish him the best.
We will be there to encourage him and dust him off when he stumbles.
It is not always being a parent but watching your child grow up is a wonderful experience.

Happy 13th Birthday Day Nate!!!


*pass the tissues please*

(pictures: 1.5yrs, 4yrs, 7yrs, 11yrs and this yr)

Sherlock Holmes - Movie Preview

This is one preview that caught my attention today when we took in a movie.

Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie

It looks like it will be a great movie.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are Sherlock Holmes and Watson.
How could a movie go wrong with Robert Downey Jr?
He (Robert Downey Jr) is one of my all time favorite actors and know that I will be sitting in on this movie when it is released in December of this year.

Go on and take a look for yourself at the clip.





7/23/2009

Tastykakes.....


These are a few boxes of goodness we brought back with us from Pennsylvania.
Tastykakes are so.very.good.

My favorite is the strawberry krimpet *drool*. They are hard to find sometimes when we head back North but when I find a box, you can bet that I buy some! Oh! the Cream Filled Koffee Kakes are also very mouthwatering.

The boys like the jelly krimpets but will settle for a butterscotch krimpet.

In high school my lunch was a Tastykake brownie with chocolate milk, it really did not get any better than that.

They are a company that stated in 1914 in Philadelphia and make the best little snack cakes. *IMHO*

They were only really found around the Philly area but slowly they have been branching out to other areas of the country. Not to mention you can also purchase them online from the Tastykake website.
In the past few months we have been able to find them locally but not the jelly krimpets (only butterscotch and chocolate cupcakes). :-(
I opted to stock up on some, brink them home and freeze them, this way we can have them anytime we would like.

Oh! they also make a nice line of sugar free and low fat/100 calorie treats.

I highly recommend you give these little tasty treats a try!


Still a bit Paranoid....



This is why I am still a bit paranoid, it creeped out from under our refrigerator yesterday morning.
*shudder*
Yes, it really was as big as the one above.
*double shudder*
It is a wolf spider.
I for one do not like any size, shape or form.
Spencer was the one who pointed it and wanted to know what it was.
I asked him for a phone book I dropped it down and all I saw was the spider fly under the refrigerator.
Alive?
Dead?
I don't know.
No. I have not looked nor moved the refrigerator to see if it is there.
Dh will be elected to do that job this weekend.
I will be avoiding the kitchen as much as I can until we know the verdict.


7/22/2009

Double the Fun...

No not really.

Before we left the boys and I were swimming daily, great way to beat the heat. *kwim*
So, the last day we swam I had some water enter in one of my ears and I thought I got it out.
Guess again.
While away I had a few days with severe ear pain and some really knock 'em down bad sinus headaches (when the pressure changed) and add in some dizzy spells when I moved my head certain ways.
Not a good sign.
*sigh*
Flash forward to being home and getting into the Dr's today to find out that I have an infection in each ear.
Oh.Lucky me.
I'm on some heavy amoxicillin for the next 10 days (thank you) and hopefully I will be able to keep these silly infections away for a bit.

I will now make sure to use those ear plug when I swim, no more ear infections for me I've had enough this year.

Summer Flowers



One of the wonderful aspects of the land my parents have is all the beautiful flowers my mom has planted around.


Seriously, I am in flower envy because all that I plant here become toast once the summer months happen. :-(



Fresh Blueberries....




While we were away visiting my parents we all chipped in and helped pick some blueberries.

There is nothing like fresh blueberries.


My mom made 2 pies, a loaf of bread and I whipped up a batch of my blueberry muffins.

There was also a nice bowlful to munch from throughout the day.

I was told that last week (after we left) they picked another strainer full and they have another batch that is getting ready to pick.

Wow!!

7/20/2009

Every so slowly....

I am getting back in the swing of things again from being away so long.
When I last posted last Wednesday, things were going along quite well and then it sort of grinded to a halt.
Autumn (our 16 yr old dog) took a flying leap off of our back porch-not good.
She was not walking correctly and her eye was twitching back and forth.
Off to the vet we went.
She has vestibular disease (in both eyes now) and is finally slowly getting better.
Long story short, her eyes are not focusing and moving horizontal without much muscle control. She needs to be taken in and out, plus Dramamine for motion sickness.
Not much more we can do for her but keep her calm and watch her.
Her hip is fine (thank goodness); she just bruised it and is on some Rhymadil for pain.

This has thrown a bit of a curve in our daily routines not to mention I am still really not sleeping very well. *sigh*

Fingers, knuckles and toes are crossed that things will smooth out this week and Autumn will pull through this without a hitch.

Happy National Lollipop Day!


Go on, treat yourself to a lollipop today and feel like a kid again.

Did you know that in the Southern states the lollipop is a sucker?
That is something I still have not been able to hearing, I don't think I ever will.


7/16/2009

Clouds



There were so many days back in PA where the clouds just mesmerized me.


Nice big, fluffy clouds that would simply fill the sky.


*sigh*


7/15/2009

Sigh...

Things are slowly getting back to normal around here.
Laundry is finally all done, groceries are slowly making the way back in the house and the kiddos are looking for things to do.

Sleep however still seems to be at the edge of my fingertips, hopefully soon I will be able to get some.

We are deciding on which movie to see this weekend Transformers or Harry Potter.
Have you seen them yet?
Which one would you recommend??

Nice to be back and slowly getting into the swing of things again. :)


7/01/2009

Checking In....

*waves*

Hello!

Yes, I am still here but not online much lately due to me still being away.

We attended a funeral late last week and I decided to stay with the kiddos.

I have one more week being out of town and then will return, the boys will stay for a bit longer with their grandparents.

Hope all is well with everyone.

See you soon.
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