Centerpiece Ideas

I found a pretty cool website for centerpieces.  I have not explored the whole site, but really liked the section on the inexpensive ones.  Thought I would share it with you!

www.divinedinnerparty.com

Have a great day!

Chicken Ranch Tacos

There are times that I try a new recipe on my family and I get a variety of votes when I ask,"On a scale of 1 to 5..."  This recipe got straight 5's!

Chicken Ranch Tacos

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

3 cups cut up chicken (2-2 1/2 lb. chicken)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

soft tortillas or hard taco shells

Taco toppings of your taste...

We used lettuce. tomato. onion, shredded cheese, sour cream.  The Mexican rice (made from the box)  was also a fun filler for the tacos!

Place cubed cooked chicken in skillet.  Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix; toss gently to coat.  Cook until hot, then stir in 1/2 cup dressing.

Spoon warm chicken mixture in shells and add toppings.

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing Abigail...

I love to do word studies in the Bible.  I pick a word...compassion, wisdom...then write down the verses mentioning the topic I am studying.  For the past several months I have been studying the word wisdom.  Solomon first came to my mind.  He did not ask for successful finances, obedient children...he asked for wisdom.  Here is the amazing part.  Our Sunday school class has been studying Abigail.  Abigail?  She is not mentioned a lot in the Bible, nor is she the topic of a lot of sermons.  The more I dig deep into her story...what a woman of wisdom!  I mean, she was able to stop a war between her foolish husband and the warrior David.  Abigail knew the "how, what, when, and wheres" about how to handle her situations.  You can read about her in 1 Samuel.  My hero Abigail reminds me that I need His wisdom in rising to meet my situations and responsibilities. This has really been an encouragement (and challenge) to me. 

 So, it is hot is hot outside (at least it is here)....next time you sit down to cool off....take some time to read about her.  She was truly a woman of wisdom!

And dinner tonight is...

Sausage Stromboli! 

I think I have mentioned my fear of pizza dough...don't know why.  My daughter begged me to teach her how to make it.  We asked my mom for her recipe, pushed up our sleeves, and started experimenting.  Easy dough recipe!  Ashley has really become a great pizza chef.  Tonight we tried Stromboli using what we had around here.  I am already coming up with other filling ideas.  We made the dough (recipe below).  For the filling we used ground sausage, mushrooms, and Ash's pizza sauce (which is tomato sauce with a lot of seasonings).   Spread the pizza dough on a greased baking sheet.  Put the filling and shredded cheese down the middle of the dough.  Fold the sides of  the dough over the filling; sealing the edges.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Slice (I used my kitchen scissors) and enjoy!

Pizza Dough

(Makes two pizza crusts/ Stromboli)

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tbl. vegetable oil

2 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir in remaining dough ingredients.  Beat vigorously, about 20 strokes.  Allow dough to rest about 5 minutes while preparing sauce of Stromboli filling.

350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Anna's Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

My friend, Anna, took her children blueberry picking and they had a great time.  Anna shared this recipe with me and thought I would pass it along to you.  It sounds delicious!

8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
 4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup oil
 2 tsp. vanilla
18 oz box yellow butter cake mix
 2 cups fresh blueberries
1 3 oz. pkg instant vanilla pudding
 powdered sugar, optional              
~Preheat oven to 325 degrees; spray 9 inch tube or bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.
~Combine cream cheese and oil and beat on high speed until smooth; add cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla.
~Beat on medium speed until blended; fold in blueberries; spoon batter into prepared pan (it will be very thick).
~Bake 60 minutes; cool for 20 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
        
"I baked them in my pan of 4 mini loaves, and it took 46 minutes. They were such a hit, it never got the chance of powdered sugar!"  ~Anna

Thanks for stopping by!

July 4th Celebration

 I hope you all had a wonderful July 4th.  The day (even the menu) came out just fine.  We did make the banana split pizza.  Baked beans, seafood salad, fluff salad, and as far as the chicken...We toasted the buns, pineapple rings, and chicken breasts.  Topped the chicken with Swiss cheese.  It made a delicious sandwich!

At one point we were all sitting on the porch and I realized once again how blessed that I am.  Not only do I have the world's best family, but we live in a country that I have freedoms...to celebrate, to be with my family.  I live in a free country.  There are many men and women serving our country so that I can enjoy these freedoms.  THANK YOU!   I thought back to our Pastor's message last Sunday.  He told the stories of several signers of the Declaration.  These were brave men who gave their possessions and lives for America.  Men such as Thomas Nelson, Carl Baxter, Francis Lewis...ever heard of them?  I challenge you to look up these men and other signers...read about them...they are men who truly loved our country!