I'm back....

It has been a long time.  My life became quite hectic.  Different things...The Lord has been teaching me things.   One of the biggest things I can encourage you with now is that when times are tough and you can't see through the fog....just remember that God does see through the fog and He sees the big picture.  I see the big picture now (I didn't when going through the trial)...believe me....God is so good!

My Sara Rose and Eugene are still courting.  It is fun to watch them find out more about each other.  The other day she told me that she and Eugene "broke up." I would have been concerned....but she was smiling.  She said she discovered that he hates banana popsicles....that is a big one!  Eugene is going to spending some time with us in June.  Looking forward to seeing him (I KNOW Sara Rose is).

This past month my family was busy looking for a new house so experimental time in the kitchen was limited...no, it was non-existent!  So, today I will write about two recipes I hope to make soon this summer.  The first is a cool summer salad involving tortellini.  Yum!

Tortellini Salad

4 16 oz bags of cheese tortellini

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 block of mozzarella cheese, cubed

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large red pepper (not hot), chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

16 oz.Italian dressing

Boil the tortellini al dente'.  Rinse with cold water and let cool.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients.  Refrigerate 1 hour or more.  Enjoy!


Homestyle Cheesy Veggies
2 16 oz pkg frozen mixed veggies (I used broc/cauliflower)
1 can mushroom soup
8 oz Velveeta cheese
8 oz sliced water chestnuts, drained
salt and pepper to taste

Cook vegetables according to pkg directions; set aside.  Heat soup and cheese together until cheese melts.  Mix all ingredients together.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Serves 10-12.

I am glad to be blogging again!
Thanks for stopping by....

Childhood Favorites!

A couple of childhood favorite recipes for you today...well, that's the way I remember it. 
I grew up enjoying taco salad, now I love making it for my family...One day I was excited about a friend making taco salad for a church potluck.  She used Italian dressing!  I had never heard of that.  I grew up with a different kind of "dressing."   Here we go...

Taco Salad
1/2 pound ground beef
Brown and drain.
ADD:
1/2 cup chopped onion
garlic seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Saute together.
In a double boiler:
Melt 8 oz. Velveeta cheese. Add one can Ro-tel tomatoes.

Cut up a head of lettuce and one large tomato in a large bowl.  Add meat and mix lightly.  Add crushed tortilla chips (one bag) and toss.  Stir in hot cheese mixture.  Serve immediately.

For dessert you could try...
Lemon Jello Cake
Dissolve 1 pkg. lemon jello in 3/4 cup hot water.  Add 3/4 cup vegetable oil.  Add 1 box yellow cake mix.  Add 4 eggs, one at a time-beat well.  Add 1 teaspoon lemon extract.

Grease and flour a cake pan. I use a pan like the one pictured above.   Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  When cake is cool, top with the
 lemon glaze.
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbl. milk

I hope you enjoy these. 
Thank you for visiting with us. 



Mandarin Orange Salad

We live right outside of a "village" community with the population that is a little over 500.  I love my town with a gas station, library, cafe, pizza place.  A lot of Amish people have been moving to our area.  I can't say that I blame them because it is a wonderful place to live.  Next weekend we are having Heritage Day.  Yes, there will be a parade, baked goods and craft sales, car show....and my personal highlight-the outhouse race!  Friends of ours will be joining us for the afternoon.  I am planning on doing something different..a brunch!  I am even going to try something new and cool to go along with our meal.

Mandarin Orange Salad

60 buttery crackers, crushed

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (6 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

3 (15 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, well drained

In medium bowl combine cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar.  Set aside aside 1/2 cup of crumb mixture for topping.  Press remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.  Set aside.

In another bowl combine condense milk and orange juice.  Fold in whipped topping and two cans of mandarin oranges.  Pour over crust.  Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Garnish with remaining can of oranges.  Cover and freeze about 8 hours or until firm.

Sounds refreshing...I will let you know how this turns out next week!

Thank you for visiting!



Open House Menu

My son graduates from high school this year. We have been working on the menu for his open house. Here in Michigan it is common to have a party for the graduate. You invite a ton of people, feed them, and they will often bring a gift for the graduate. It is a fun time to get together with family and friends. For a year Phillip has had his menu planned. Pizza and skittles! I am expanding on that menu...and am planning on seeing if I can get a discount on pizzas since I am ordering a lot. I am also going to have some sandwiches and salads. Maybe a pasta salad? I have about a month to get my act together. For the next few days I think I will do a variety of salad recipes. Let me know what you think about them. If you have a salad recipe that stretches...feeds a lot and is not too expensive, please feel free to share it with me.

This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Vicki. Definitely one of my favorites!

Coleslaw Salad

2 bags coleslaw

1 pkg. ramen noodles (use just uncooked noodles-no sauce)

1 c. slivered almonds

1 c. oil

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

2 tbl. soy sauce

Mix last 4 ingredients and toss in coleslaw. Lightly saute broken ramen noodles and almonds in butter. Toss into salad mixture right before serving. Very easy and delicious!

Don't forget to send me your salad recipes!

Apple Salad

Have you ever found a recipe that you exclaim, "Oh, yeah, I remember that! It was really good." Then you wonder, why don't I make that more often? I really got excited when I found this one...seriously....and this is a pretty salad, also. You do have to plan ahead for this salad. Hope you enjoy!

Apple Salad

20 oz. pineapple tidbits in juice

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbl. flour

1 tbl. vinegar

1 egg

6 cups red and green apples. cubed

8 oz. cool whip

Drain pineapple, save juice. Mix pineapple and marshmallows. Chill up to 24 hours. In sauce pan mix: pineapple juice, sugar, flour, vinegar, and egg. Heat on medium heat until bubbly. Reduce the heat and stir about 2 minutes. Chill in bowl up to 24 hours.

Mix pineapple and marshmallows, juice mixture, apples, and cool whip.

Serve and enjoy!

Cheese Tortellini Salad

First of all, on the menu for breakfast tomorrow are the peanut butter muffins from yesterday's blog. We will let you know how they turn out. Today's recipe is a favorite salad of mine.

Cheese Tortellini Salad

4 16 oz. bags of cheese tortellini

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

1 block mozzarella cheese, cubed

1 large green pepper

1 large red pepper (not hot)

1 medium onion, chopped

16 oz. Italian dressing

Boil the cheese tortellini ala dente'. Rinse with cold water and let cool. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Gradually add dressing to your liking. Mix well. Put in refrigerator 1 hour or more. Very refreshing salad. We like it anytime, but especially as a side when grilling.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

This is a great salad! Two versions....leaded and unleaded (with sugar and without)! This is one of my husband's favorites. I really need to make it more often-and it isn't that expensive.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

1 can small petite peas-drained

1 can white shoe peg corn-drained

1 can french green beans-drained

1/2 chopped celery, optional

1 small onion, chopped

1 green pepper

Marinate:

1/2 cup splenda

3/4 cup white vinegar

2 tbs canola oil

pepper to taste

1 tsp. salt

OR

Use 1/2 cup oil and 1 cup of regular sugar.

Marinate overnight. Drain and serve.

Hope you enjoy this salad-very light and refreshing! I first tasted this recipe visiting some friends. My husband first met them as a teen and they are very special people to him. I have since gotten to know them. It did not take me long to realize why they are so special.

Recipe Challenge...Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

One head of broccoli, chopped

One bunch cauliflower, chopped

1/2 purple onion, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup raisins

Bacon bits

Salad dressing...

1 cup mayo

1/2 sugar

1 tbl. cider vinegar

You can mix up this salad and serve right away, or

let it chill for a while. We thought it was good either way.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

A Special Day Fruit Salad

My mom's fruit salad is another family favorite. We usually have this every Thanksgiving and/ or Christmas. It is very easy to put together and can be done the day before serving.Quick Fruit Salad

1 large can peach pie filling

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 large can chunk pineapple, drained

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries

3 or 4 bananas, sliced

1 cup, pecans (optional)

Combine all ingredients in bowl, except bananas. Chill overnight.

Add bananas before serving.

Very easy!

II Samuel 22:4a

"I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:"