Alphabet Soup

Planning   Yes, it's been a while.  I'm not going to apologize or give excuses.  I've just been dealing with a lot lately, and as usual when that happens the blog takes a hit.  That's just...me!  :) Earlier this month I cleaned out my pantry, which wound up being more of an undertaking than I had planned, but it definitely needed to be tackled.  I couldn't believe how chaotic the pantry had gotten!  This weekend, I decided to tackle the freezer, and restock it as well.  I know I am lucky to have a stand alone freezer.  I've had it for years and it is such a wonderful asset!  Like the pantry, sometimes it gets disorganized and I have no clue what's even in there!  I try to do a deep clean (I also have to defrost it...unfortunately it's not self-defrosting, lol) at least twice a year, and take an inventory, which I then print out and stick on the front of the freezer.  I don't always keep the inventory updated as I ...

It's January 12th, and this is my first post of the year.  Crazy, huh?  Well, things have definitely been chaotic around here.  It all started on New Year's Eve when we were without power for over 4 hours.  Then, that night the baby started running a fever.  New Year's Day our internet was out most of the day.  On Sunday, the chaos rested.  Then, the afternoon of January 3rd, a Monday of course, the flood came.  And it came in the form of a washing machine that overflowed for 30 minutes.  Now, you wouldn't think it could do that much damage in that short amount of time, right?  Wrong.  Luckily I was still home and caught it.  But I caught it on my way out the door to start picking up kids!  My first calls were to their schools to say "hey, water everywhere, I'm going to be late!"  Then I had a bit of a breakdown.  Imagine me, with my shoes off and pant legs rolled up, wading through water in my own k...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week.  We did, even if it was crazy...but it always is!  It has decided to get cold lately, so I though it would be the perfect time to try out this new slow cooker recipe.  Also, for a variety of reasons, we have decided to crack down on the unhealthy eating around here.  Yes, during the holidays.  I'm crazy like that.  In light of that, I used reduced fat dairy products in this, and while I didn't actually figure out what the nutrition facts would be, it is makes for a pretty healthy recipe. Like many slow cooker recipes, this one came together rather quickly.  I did add an extra step of lightly sauteing the vegetables at the beginning, but that's because I wasn't getting the dish on as early as I'd planned, and I wanted to make sure they were well cooked.  You could most likely omit that step with no problems. This was mostly a hit all around.  D and I really like...

Back in December of 2008, right after I started blogging, I posted about my recipe & cookbook collection . Well, needless to say I've only added to it since then. I've decided that I really need to start pulling more recipes from all those cookbooks and cooking magazines because they are just sitting on shelves and in boxes taking up space. My goal is to *eek* pare them down over the summer. Well, at least the magazines! I've started with a recipe from the most recent issue of Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious. It is a recipe for BBQ ribs in the crockpot. Oddly enough, the post from Dec '08 that I mentioned above also had a recipe for BBQ ribs in the crockpot...and this was not planned! This recipe went over fairly well with my guys. It's just a simple, easy recipe with a rather mild (but good) flavor. You could easily mix up the sauce ingredients the night before to make preparation in the morning even easier. Although the recipe calls for a ...

Last weekend, I gave D and Sean each a cookbook and told them that they each got to pick out a new recipe to try. I'm tired of having to do all the choosing! The book that I gave D was a slow cooker cookbook, and this is the recipe he chose. It's not necessarily one that I would have picked, but I'm glad he did! It was so simple, quick to put together, and quick cooking (well, for a slow cooker!). Sean only ate a little bit of the chicken. Kade ate some of the chicken and a little of the soup, but it was a bit spicy for him. D and I both really liked it, and I was instructed to make sure I keep this recipe!! The next time I try it, I may substitute some browned ground beef for the chicken and add some pinto beans. We both agreed that it would be good with some tortillas added in at the end as well. Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder adapted from this cookbook 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 2 (14.5 oz) cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes, und...

I keep saying that I'm going to use my slow cooker more, and I haven't really been using it that much. However, I've used it twice this week! :) The first time I just threw some refrigerated cheese tortellini in with some tomato puree and spices and let it cook for a couple of hours. That was quite the hit. Today, I tried a new recipe, which I adapted from a recipe out of Better Than Mom's Slow Cooker Recipes , which I picked up off the bargain rack a while back. It turned out well. The flavor was milder than I anticipated, which wasn't a bad thing. It was still good! I'm trying to figure out how to tweak it if I make it again. Pepper Pork Sandwiches 1 (2-1/2 to 3 lb) boneless pork shoulder roast 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional) 1 (8 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers, undrained (rough chop the peppers if desired) 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp oregano 1 (1o oz) can enchilada sauce Trim ex...

I made this a few nights ago, and thought I would share the recipe. It's a great meal for a busy weeknight, especially since it utilizes the crockpot/slow cooker. It also reheats well. I even know how this recipe came to be in my files! A friend of mine, Faith, shared it a few years ago. Cream Cheese Chicken 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/4 cup melter butter salt and pepper, to taste 2 packets dry Ranch or Italian dressing mix 1 can cream of chicken soup 8 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup chopped onion Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a Crock Pot and sprinkle 1 packet dry dressing mix over all. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, brown onion in 1/4 cup of the juices from the Crock Pot. Add soup, second packet of dry dressing mix, cream cheese and chicken broth. Cook until smooth. Pout over the chicken; cover and cook another 45 minutes. Serve with sauce. Goes...

Now, when I talk about my recipe box, or recipe file, you're probably thinking about something cutesy like this, aren't you? Nope, not so much. Try this on for size: Those boxes on the floor, they're also full of recipes and cookbooks. And that doesn't count all the ones on the computer!! Yeah, I may have a few too many, lol!! So, I'm trying to be better and pick at least one new recipe to cook each week. I'm trying to add to the "tried and true" favorites. I admit, I should probably go through the boxes and get rid of the stuff that I'm truly never going to use, because I'm sure there's some of that in there. But I get emotionally attached to stuff, I admit it! I'm a full-fledged packrat. However, I'm trying to let go and de-clutter. A little. Anyway, the real point of this post is that I pulled out a new recipe to try today. I also need to admit that I don't always save the source of a recipe. So, when I post a rec...