A Pinterest Thanksgiving!

So I decided that most of the items on my Thanksgiving list are going to be made from recipes I have seen on Pinterest! I am really excited about this!  I would say that I am going to be doing step by step pictures... But then again, I probably wont. So I am just going to post the recipes and let you all decide!

Thanksgiving Menu

Ham

Turkey -- Crocpot

corn Casserole

Sweet potato pecan casserole

Bacon Wrapped Green bean Bundles

Cheesy Onion Casserole

Turnip Greens in crocpot

Savory Glazed Carrots

Cranberry sauce

7up biscuits

Jim N Nicks Biscuits

Deviled Eggs

Corn Casserole

Via Pinterest on Pennies on a Platter's website

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6-8 servings

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn

1 (8 oz) package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9- by 9-inch baking or a 2 quart casserole dish.

Mix together the corn, Jiffy, sour cream and butter in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: If baking in a 9x13, the texture will be different than baking in the 2 quart casserole. The 9x13 will be thin slices where the 2 quart casserole produces more of a corn pudding. Either way is delicious.

Sweet Potato Casserole

via Pinterest at askchef's message board

Ingredients

4 cups sweet potato, cubed

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.

In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles

(My recipe)

4 (15-oz.) cans of whole green beans ~ not “cut”, not “french-style”

bacon strips, cut in half (I use my kitchen scissors.)

1 cup melted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Gather 10 beans into a bundle.  Wrap bacon around beans and secure with a toothpick.  Arrange in a 9×13 pan.

Combine melted butter, brown sugar, garlic salt, and soy sauce in a bowl.  Mix well.  Pour over beans.

Chill overnight or for several hours.  Bake at 375° for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until bacon is cooked.

Cheesy Onion Casserole

Via Pinterest at Instuctable's

2-3 Tbs butter or margarine

3 large sweet onions or 4 medium white or yellow onions

2 c. shredded Swiss cheese (8 oz.)

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted**

2/3 c. milk

1 tsp. soy sauce

8 or so slices of French bread

**You can substitute cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken to make vegetarian.

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, and add onions. Saute onions until clear, a little brown is ok. In a shallow 2 qt. casserole pan, layer onions, 2/3 of cheese and pepper to taste.

In a sauce pan, heat soup, milk, and soy sauce, stirring to blend. Pour soup mixture in a casserole and stir gently to mix. Top with bread slices. Bake at 350 uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, top of bread should be nice and toasted.

Push bread slices under the sauce and top with the remaining cheese.

Place casserole back in oven and finish baking for 15 more minutes. 

Total prep time: 20 minutes.

Total baking time: 30 minutes. 

Turnip Greens in Crocpot

1 smoked ham hock

4 -6 slices thick bacon (optional)

8 cups collard greens, tough ribs and stems removed, torn into thin strips              (kale may also be used)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups water

Serve With

1/2 cup minced mild onion (optional)

red wine vinegar (amount to taste) (optional)

hot pepper sauce             (I like Tabasco, amount to taste) (optional)

Directions:

Note: be sure to rinse collards thoroughly before using.

Remove any thick stems and tear or chop leaves into strips.

Cook bacon in a skillet until the fat renders and bacon becomes translucent.

Place bacon, with its drippings, into the bottom of the crock pot.

Add the greens, ham hock, salt, pepper, and water into crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

Remove ham hock, discard skin and shred meat, returning meat to crock pot.

Serve greens with minced onion, vinegar and Tabasco, if desired.

Savory Glazed Carrots

Via Pineterest on Deep South Dish's website

Ingredients

2 pounds of carrots

2 cups of beef stock or broth

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2-1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

3-4 turns of the pepper grinder

Salt, to taste

Fresh or dried parsley, optional

Instructions

Peel, quarter and cut the carrots into 2-inch strips. In a large heavy bottomed pot, bring the stock up to a boil, adding in the butter, sugar and pepper. Add the carrots and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until carrots are tender and liquid has reduced to a thick glaze.

Taste and add salt as needed. Sprinkle with parsley before serving, if desired.

7Up Biscuits

Found via Pinterest on Plain Chicken's Website

from Plain Chicken

Printable Recipe

2 C Bisquick

1/2 C sour cream

1/2 C 7-up

1/4 C melted butter

Add sour cream into Bisquik and mix together, add 7 Up.  The dough will be very soft. Sprinkle additional Bisquick onto the counter and gently pat the dough out to desired thickness (about 1 inch)  Use the bottom of a glass or a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits.    Place melted butter into 9 x 9 pan.  Bake in a 450 oven until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. (Double recipe)

Just like Jim N Nicks Biscuits

Found Via Pinterest on Plain Chicken's Website

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 Tbps sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425.  Stir together all ingredients just until combined.  Scoop into a mini muffin pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden.  **I used a medium cookie scoop and got 20 muffins**

Deviled Eggs

(My Recipe)

20 hard boiled eggs 

1/4 to 1/2 cup of miracle whip

1 avacado mashed

1-2 squirts of mustard

salt and pepper to taste

tiny bit of lemon juice

cut eggs in half, combine yellows and miracle whip, avacado, mustard, salt & pepper and lemon juice. mix well. fill eggs, and eat!

So thats pretty much it! Well, that's the plan anyway. But things have been known to change pretty frequently around here!  Hope everyone has a great week!

Do-it-yourself Dish Soap

I was pretty bored today with the kids being over at their dads and I was running out of dish soap...  Since this week I am going to be doing a lot of DIY type stuff - like laundry detergent, and I need to make some new cleaner...  I figured, why not try to make some Dish soap as well...  So... that is exactly what I did.

Following the recipe was the easy part. It didnt turn out the way I wanted it to... most likely because I used the wrong stuff... But I was able to fix my mistake, and I am actually pretty happy with the results! 

You will need: a large pot, Arm&Hammer washing powder (not baking powder!) a half a bar of grated ivory soap, 2 qts warm water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, essential oil (I used lavender  and food coloring (optional) 

Pour the 2 quarts of water into the pot, adding 1 cup washing powder, 1 tablespoon glycerin, 1/2 bar of grated ivory soap and white vinegar, bring to a slow boil. 

You want everything to become all nicely melted and the water will be mostly clear.  Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then add in 7 drops essential oil and your food coloring of choice (I used purple).

Let sit for an hour or so.  You will start to see a film on top, stir it every 20 minutes or so.  Pour into a 2 qt jug (I used a V8 jug!) You will see some solids in there, dont worry about it. Shake it every once in awhile. It will get thicker and thicker as time goes on!

The cooler it becomes the more it thickens.  

I spilled a little on my hands, and I love the feel of it.  My hands are smoother.. Not dry like most soaps will do!  It's not completely cooled. But I had fun making it! Definitely plan on doing this more often.  Also hoping that it sets right, but we will see for sure in a few days! Once its completely done I will take pictures and begin the next batch and actually show you all the pictures :) until then, have fun!

ADHD, Asthma and Autism, OH MY!

When my mother told me that my kids would pay me back for all the bad things I did when I was a kid, I laughed. Okay, not entirely true.  I sat down and thought "hmm, I wasn't really a bad kid!" (Until I hit the teenage years that is, but they still have no idea about that, so it doesn't count, right?) It's not that my kids are bad, but over the past several months it seems I have become a circus performer, jumping through countless hoops to get through just the day! Here is the update that is much needed!

Kathryn has been a "normal" 6 almost 7 year old.  Homework has become one more daily chore piled onto my already overwhelming list. For crying out loud seriously, who is in school here, me or her? It's a fight to see who has more stamina, who can sit there and cry, scream, yell the loudest, just to give in.  I can only do so much, right?

Dylan is his typical mischievous self.  He instigates almost all the fights between his brother and sister. Blames everyone else. Everyone sees him as this perfectly sweet, innocent little boy, who never does anything wrong.  I saw through that facade a long time ago. Dylan has 2 settings, Big Helper: Does his chores, even without being asked, homework done and then some. Andddd then there is Little Devil: fights everything I say, instigates everything, battles are usually lost with him standing in the corner. The weather is getting cooler, which means It is asthma season... I am dreading this.  I know a severe lack of sleep is on the way.  Luckily, I am stocked up on medicine and coffee.  For both of us.

Caleb.. He is the reason I have jumped through more hoops than a circus clown.  If you have ever had to have a child placed into the special needs program in school, then you know completely what I am talking about. I have battled (imagine suiting up in full chain and platemail armor and you know what I am getting at) with school boards, psychologists  school counselors  bus drivers (seriously, if you have an autistic child yourself, you should know and understand how he reacts to a big huge bus with lots of kids! HELLO! DUH!) doctors, nurses, and teachers (although his teacher is FRIGGEN AMAZING!) Seriously, His teacher is the best thing that has happened to me since sliced bread.  She completely understands his needs, and she helps us so much! If it wasn't for her I am pretty sure I would not have pushed so hard to get him on the special needs. It took 4 months to get my son onto an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) It has been a very rough and trying road.  But we finally did it!  Caleb is doing better than ever, and I couldn't be happier!

Overall, the kids have been doing very well. Every once in awhile I have one of those moments that I am on the right track, where I feel that everything is right in the world and I am not a complete failure.  But then, something shatters my bubble of perfection.  The whole single mom thing is not easy by any means.  But oddly enough, it is easier to deal with the kids without my ex around.  More and more I feel like myself, and not some screwed up carbon copy that was messed up in the presses.

When I found the second lump in my breast, I had to swallow a huge measure of pride. I already knew what the outcome would be when the doctor examined me but I chose to wait anyway. Needless to say it didn't disappear, but grew. Once again I went under the knife and had the damn thing removed. Stay gone this time!!!  I do not want to be a lumpy, pincushion that the doctor gets to use! (Although I must say I absolutely LOVE Dr Lisa Farmer! She is awesome, laid back and has great bedside manner!) My breast is still a bit tender, but hopefully that will disappear soon.

Kids birthdays are literally right around the corner. Dylans is exactly one week away, with Kathryns and Calebs right behind it.  I don't have anything to give them, which makes me feel awful. I guess it also makes me feel awful that I am doing this birthday party in hopes that kids bring gifts to them, to make up for the fact that I can't afford to get them anything.  *Please don't let the other parents be stingy!!!*

Well, thats about it, so much has happened since my last post, and I am really trying to get back into writing- hopefully that will help me get out some of my frustration in the world around me.  Either that or maybe I should find an abandoned building and start smashing windows...  either or could be satisfying...

Best Dinner... Ever....

I sat there today, debating on what on earth to cook. I was frustrated because I forgot to take out something last night, and I didn't want to wait several hours to cook.  My eyes rested on the bag of Whiting...  Well, it is Just me and the kids.  So... I went online and typed in Whiting recipes...  Many came up...  The one I decided on making though... I ended up changing completely!!! I had decided to make Whiting with Garlic and Lemon. My biggest thing is I HATE frying food. Any kind of food.  So, I decided to bake it, using bread crumbs.

First I took the fish and soaked it with Worcestershire sauce, then dipped it into the bread crumbs, making sure they are fully coated.

 Lay skin side down on baking sheet sprayed with olive oil spray.

Put the fish in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. When they come out, they should look similar to this.

Then make your sauce.  I have to say I completely went away from the recipe with the sauce.  I took garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil and combined it with some hollandaise sauce.  The sauce came out perfectly!  The end result...  was absolutly amazing!  The fish had a beautifully smoky flavor to it, and it was fabulous! The kids even had no complaints.  I also made cheesy garlic mashed potatoes and buttered french style beans (yes, with Garlic!)  I am a garlic fiend, it's okay. I admit it.  So sue me.  Anyway, here is the final picture!  It turned out fabulous!

Garlic Lemon Whiting

6-8 Whiting filets

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (give or take)

Worcestershire sauce

Coat fish in Worcestershire sauce, coat both sides with bread crumbs. Put in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes turning over halfway through baking time. Meanwhile make the sauce.

Sauce:

1 pkg Hollandaise sauce

5 garlic cloves, mashed and diced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup 100% lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Make Hollandaise sauce as stated on the pkg. Add in remaining ingredients. Allow to come to a boil stirring CONSTANTLY! Otherwise it will clump up. Continue stirring until thick remove from heat, stir one more minute. Plate fish and whatever other sides you have, place sauce over fish! (Sauce would be great over steamed mixed veggies too!)

No complaints from this family!!! I was worried that the sauce wouldn't come out right, but I am so glad that I went with my instincts! A perfectly yummy meal!!!

Remember that Vinegar and Orange cleaner I made not long ago? Well, it works wonderfully! Smells great, and it cleans like a dream! I don't have to worry about the kids breathing in toxic fumes when they do their chores. A win/win for me! Not to mention the cost is perfect for my budget!  If you can't remember how to make it, it is simple:

1 mason jar (I used old spaghetti sauce jars)

fill it up with orange rinds (from the kids lunch)

add vinegar until it is full

put the lid on, and let it sit for at least 10 days. Mine sat for 2 weeks and smells divine!

Have a great week, Happy Cooking and parenting everyone!

Rice Krispy Treats and a touch of Nutella... Awesome!

So I have been promising the kids for awhile now that I would make Rice Krispy Treats. Tonight was the night! I made them from an easy easy recipe from the back of the marshmellows bag, but once the kids finished pressing the treats into the 9x13 pan... my gaze drifted lazily over to my pantry. I kid you not I swear the Nutella lit up. The gears started turning. Hmmm, Nutella Rice Krispy treats... Now that sounds awesome! At first I was going to do a thin layer over the top, but then I thought how much fun it would be if we just did swirly designs with a spoon. So thats exactly what we did. I must say, it turned out great!  So here is a picture to get you salivating.

Now go make your own... These are mine...(and the kids since I HAVE to share.) Another post to come later!

By the way, I am in a cooking mood...  hehe Beware!!!

Update: ACV and other things I have learned!

Holy cow! (No there is actually not a holy cow anywhere in the vincity.. that I know of, its just a phrase people, just a phrase.) I have been pleasently surprised to learn that ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar, check out my last post if you need clarification to what on earth I am talking about!!) Really is a cure-all. That terriblely painful UTI that I had?  Completely gone. No more problems. I took it roughly 3 times a day in the V8 Mixture, adding a little lemon juice each time = no pain, and completely gone.  I am impressed.  So over the past week I have been doing tons of research on ACV and it's curing properties.

ACV has been around since 400BC. Originally found for curing different ailments in the body. Okay, great. History is awesome, it really is but what we really want to know is WHAT can vinegar do right? Here is a short list:

• Cure UTI's (I am proof to this!)
• help manage Diabetes
• weight loss
• Cures Acid Reflux
• helps in the beautify department: hair, nails, skin etc.
• helps to make warts disappear
• Helps with hot flashes
• gets rid of fleas, ticks on animals
• Helps animals skin conditions, 

ETC ETC ETC!!!


That's alot, but there is so much more, of course I am sure you know that you can clean with Vinegar right? If you didn't, you do now.  Right now, I have 2 spaghetti jars filled with Orange peels and White vinegar.  You're supposed to leave them for 10 days, which I have done, and its supposed to make an excellent cleaner... Which is does! It also smells so much better than the cleaners you get at the store, it's non toxic to children and pets but it is toxic to that nasty bacteria like E Coli and such.  Not to mention that it saves me a ton of money! I go through cleaners like crazy, usually I end up spending around 20 dollars a month on cleaners, But a big huge bottle of White Vinegar is only 3 dollars at walmart, and then you have the oranges, which I buy anyway for the kids. It works out perfectly!

I have been on a mission to find ways to save money. One of those ways is to make my own detergents, cleaners, etc. So in the next few blog posts I will be doing just that! Hope you all have a great week!  Enjoy!

Drugstore Diva's Giveaway

Drugstore Diva's is giving away a pretty awesome gift bag of Nimble Balance Bars for women and several other goodies!  Go check it out at...

http://drugstoredivas.net/2012/06/18/review-giveaway-balance-bar-nimblequickie-chick/

They sound yummy! So check it out- Also make sure you check out Drugstore Diva's site.  She is pretty awesome and has lots of great tips and tricks!  (Not to mention a great resource for couponers!)