Finally A Picture!

Holy Cow I did it! I feel like a technological genius. This is a dresser in my dining room. It was just a quick test picture to try everything out. More to come as soon as possible.

New Camera

So I gave the money tree out back a really good shake and went and bought a new camera. Just a small digital camera (its the size of my phone basically) Its a Canon Power Shot. Anyway Im charging the battery as we speak and will get some pics on as soon as I can figure it all out. Im getting ready to head to Shop Rite and get what I need for that Taco Dip for a party we are going to tonite. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Pumpkin Fudge

I have been making this recipe for a few years now and its outstanding. Its extremely easy and I love to wrap it in wax paper and put it in white candy boxes wrap it all up and give it to my kids teachers.

CREAMY PUMPKIN FUDGE
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups mini marshmallows
12 oz package white choc chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

-butter all sides of a heavy medium saucepan. combine sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 12 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add marshmallows choc chips walnuts and vanilla. stir until melted. Pour into aluminum foil lines buttered 8x8 baking pan. Chill until firm. Cut into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. This is such an easy recipe I got it right on my first try. I dont toast the walnuts as the recipe calls for but you could. Remember its evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed. Be sure to bring to a hard boil for the full 12 minutes and even a few minutes more to be sure. Enjoy!!

Halloween Treats

I have a few minutes while my two favorite soldiers are outside playing so I thought I would post some Halloween and fall snacks and stuff for the weekend...
This recipe was just given to me by a FB friend. Its such an easy recipe...

Easy Pumpkin Cake
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of pumpkin -15 ounce. the small size
3/4 cup choc chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
-Mix together cake mix and pumpkin. Batter will be thick and lumpy
-sprinkle chips on top. bake 350 for 30 min or so. I cant remember and its in the oven now. Will correct if needed. I add some pumpkin pie spice but its fine without it. You could also make it with a spice cake mix or even chocolate mix. So easy and a fun recipe for beginning cooks.

I have yet to try this next one but it sounds so good and indulgent. Its called Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip... I KNOW whats not to love about that? here it is....
8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup semisweet choc chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
- beat together cream cheese butter and vanilla. Add sugars. beat til well mixed. Stir in chips and walnuts. Serve with graham crackers (you could also serve w vanilla wafer cookies )
May have to break this one out this weekend.....
The next recipe is a similar idea... just with pumpkin pie...

PUMPKIN PIE CHEESECAKE SPREAD
8 oz package cream cheese
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t maple flavoring (i havent made this but im sure it would be fine without it or with vanilla instead)
vanilla wafers
-beat cream cheese till light and fluffy. set aside. combine brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice and stir into cream cheese till well blended. Serve w the vanilla wafers or even gingersnap cookies...so delish

** Now for some savory snacks....**
Artichoke Garlic Dip
14 oz can artichokes drained and chopped
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
2 cloves garlic minced
-combine all ingredients in an ungreased 10 inch pie plate. sprinkle w extra parm cheese if desired. bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes
*I have made this before. Its delicious!!

Taco Joe Dip- I just read this one for the first time sounds so good. And great for a party
16 oz can kidney bean drained and rinsed
15 oz can corn drained
15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
14 oz can stewed tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz can chopped green chiles
one package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup chopped onion
-combine all ingredients in a slow cooker combine and cook low setting for up to 5 - 7 hours. serve w tortilla chips... how great would this be to come home to after trick or treating? add some browned chop meat and it would be an amazing chili...
**ok thats it for now but hope to post more as soon as possible!!

Halloween is here!

Well given the twenty degree temp drop today it finally feels like Halloween. Not Memorial day (but i did love it so warm) Anyway. My kids were as sweet as could be getting ready to wear their costumes today. Jack was so excited to wear his camouflage outfit and Shane was dressed an hour and a half before he needed to be. They were so cute hugging on the sidewalk before Jack walked to school. We are headed to friends tonite for pumpkin carving and hanging out. Jack was so cute because I told him I will repaint his face for tonight and he said "o wow its a costume party?!" i love that the little things still make him happy. He is growing but still so young in many ways. We have another "adult" party Saturday. Im not sure what Im going to make. Possibly chili or those jalapeno poppers i posted about. Then Sunday we will have to find a way to keep them occupied before finally going trick or treating. I will probably have soup or chili or something easy so we can spend the day having fun!
I guess because of Halloween prep I have been stalled on my thanksgiving day plans. Am hoping to be re-energized and start serious planning and cleaning. Im going to get a camera tomorrow to show pics of my Halloween decorations before I switch to turkey day.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Spice, Rice and all things Nice

So after my huge Sunday dinner and leftovers last nite, I decided to go back to my crock pot. Today is mexican chicken. This is such an easy recipe that I just made up. Very little mess and clean up and so easy to fix.

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts
one package of taco seasoning
one can of beans- kidney or cannelini. really anything.( or leave this out and add refried to the end when making the tacos)
one small onion sliced
one can of diced tomatoes
one small can of diced green chilies to taste
-place all ingredients in slow cooker. cook on high for two hrs or till chicken is finished. shred chicken and fix w soft tacos, rice cheese and sour cream. you could even pile it on top of tortilla chips and make nachos. enjoy!!

Dishes, a neccesary evil in cooking

About a half an hour ago I stood in my kitchen totally bewildered at the amount of dishes in my sink. Didn't I just do them? Do the multiply in there?  I had just cleaned out the fridge which of corse added quite a few miscellaneous pots and dishes. Anyway I grabbed my dish washing gloves and got started. Now you have to know that I am not quirky about a lot of things but I am about touching wet food; I hate it. And I hate the way my hands smell after using those yellow dish gloves. So I have disposable ones. I know. Not very eco friendly. But I will plant some extra trees this spring to offset the plastic. Ok I know I'm reaching on that one... so in walks my sweet faced 9 year old. "Can I help you mom?" the mere suggestion of it nearly knocks me out of my pink slippers. Im standing with my hands in scalding hot water. Not much to do I tell him, but i find a few little things to help me with. Soon he grabs a notebook and asks if he can sit and draw with me. In no time he has a whole page of little stick figures in battle. I suggested adding a bow and arrow. The look he gave me was priceless.I felt like super-mom. Needless to say I washed the sink for a few extra minutes. Made sure that the stove was sparkling clean. If standing there meant a few more precious moments with my ever growing son I was willing to scrub every corner of that kitchen. Moments that are becoming fewer and farther in between. Between play dates HOMEWORK (ugh) and sports I find time alone with him far to infrequent. My heart was warm with love and affection as he sat in that chair; he didnt go in to watch tv. Or downstairs to play wii. He came to draw with his mother.  So I guess from now on maybe I wont think of the dishes as some dreaded chore but rather a golden opportunity to  be with him alone and to freeze that memory of  my sweet son whom  I adore and is growing more quickly than I had ever imagined possible. Me with my dish gloves and him with his stick figures carrying bow and arrows. I love you babyjack.

Sunday Night and settling in for the week...

Well the roast beef is in the oven and the apple and potato bake is waiting for a hot oven. I added the wild rice I made the other day. The fruit compote is in the slow cooker. Smells like fall family and home to me in my house right now. Another section I would like to start at some point is weekend snacks. My cookbooks have the most delicious snacks for football games or appetizers for company or just hanging out. Some have Halloween themes to them which I will try to post the remainder of this week and we are heading into the big trick or treat holiday!
ok so this was literally the first recipe I just turned to. I love jalapeno poppers. This recipe sounds outstanding.
TIME OUT FOR JALAPENOS
8 oz package of softened cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon crisply cooked and crumbled
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 LB of jalapeno peppers halved
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
-combine cheeses bacon salt and seasonings, fill each jalapeno half w mixture. Roll in bread crumbs. Arrange on greased baking sheet. bake at 300 for 30 -35 minutes. makes about 2 dozen
*I think this sounds like an extremely easy and delicious snack. I hope to try it out soon!

Tonights Dinnner, Sunday Dinner and Dinners for the week

I dont think I have ever written "dinner" as much as I did above. I wont totally focus on food all the time but until I get a camera and some pictures up I dont think it makes a lot of sense to write about my decorating until I can show you what Im doing.
Tonites Dinner
This was the crock pot chicken cacciatore. It was good, really good but I would do a few things different next time. I would add more sugar, more mushrooms and some more garlic. It was a very thick sauce which was fine. But I think it needed a little more...something. So thats my changes for next time.
Sunday Dinner
Tomorrows dinner is going to be roast beef. I am going to shop rite in the morning for it. I am going to serve it with the Apple and Sweet Potato bake I posted about the other day and may add the rice to it to make one big casserole. I think all the flavors will really mix well together. I am also going to make
Slow Cooker Warm Fruit Compote, you probably dont need a slow cooker for this and could bake it but I have been on such a slow cooker kick I thought why not. Especially since I can put it in throw all the ingredients in and let it go. heres the recipe:
21 oz can cherry pie filling (im leaving this out)
20 oz jar chunky applesauce
8 oz can pineapple chunks
15 oz can sliced peaches drained
11 oz can mandarin oranges drained
1/2 c brown sugar packed
1 t cinnamon
1 can sliced pears (I added this)
-I may add some extra cinnamon and brown sugar to this and maybe even a little butter. Even though it says to drain I will probably add a little of the juice from each can in for extra flavor.
Dinners this week.-
Im not usually this planned ahead but this Monday I sat w my cookbooks and planned out dinners thru till next week. Then I shopped for the ingredients that I didnt have for most of them but will still need some other stuff for next week. Here is my tentative menu!
Monday- slow cooker mexican chicken
Tuesday- baked potato soup and some type of sandwich or salad
Wednesday - chicken ranch jack- This is a new recipe
Thursday- Thai chicken w pineapples. This is something I made up based on a dinner we had with Chris' aunt and uncle in vermont.
*Will probably grab just a few things in the morning and then monday or tuesday get whatever is missing for the Thai food. I bought two huge packages of boneless chicken at wegmans on monday. This should last a while.. I HOPE!!

Catching Up

I never made that chicken that night. Between homework chaos getting kids to grandmas and attending conferences we ended up eating Surf Taco. So good. I did make the recipe for the rice and it made a HUGE amount. I ended up making all of it. It would be great for a big crowd or Thanksgiving dinner. Last nite (poor yankees we tried to cheer them on in our dinner choices) we had a baseball themed dinner. Hot dogs, fries, cracker jax (ok it was crunch n munch but close enough) and Yankee ice cream for dessert. Unfortunately it wasnt enough to help with a win but I had fun making it.
Today we had a long baseball game far away and I decided to make this slow cooker chicken cacciatore recipe. I cant tell you how great it was to walk into a house smelling great and a hot meal waiting for us. Its still sitting here beckoning to be devoured. But I wanted to get the recipe up first. It says to have it over pasta but for whatever reasons Im feeling white rice. My mom used to make this tomato and chicken recipe and we ate it over rice. This reminds me of it
Chicken Cacciatore
1 onion thinly sliced
3 lbs chicken (i used three boneless chicken breasts)
2 6 oz cans of tomato paste
can of mushrooms (i think i mentioned i dont like these so i used fresh)
salt
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 t or dried oregano
1/2 t celery seed
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
-place onion in crock pot and chicken on top. mix remaining ingredients and pour over. cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 3-4.
I dont have oregano, celery seed or bay leaf so i left it out and added dried basil and parsley. I also threw in some sugar as I always do when making any type of tomato sauce. Serve over spaghetti or as I said rice would be great too.
...stay tuned for Sunday Dinner. will be posting that after the dinner tonite. Will let you know how tonites dinner turns out!

Whats For Dinner Tonite??

As I figure out how to organize my posts better I would like to have a section all its own called "whats for dinner" I run hot and cold with my dinners. Sometimes they are well planned out for the week and creative and different. Sometimes its the same boring stuff. But like I said I want to try to make at least one or two new recipes a week. I made this one maybe last year and it was good!
CRANBERRY CHICKEN (from Autumn in the Country cookbook)
2 T oil
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
1 onion sliced
1/2 cup ketchup (i remember last time i didnt like this taste so I'm leaving it out this time)
8oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
2T brown sugar packed
1 T worcestershire sauce
-Heat oil in skillet cook chicken till golden on both sides. remove chicken and place in lightly greased baking dish. Add onion to skillet cook 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and heat thru. Pour mixture on top of chicken and bake 20-25 minutes.

Wild Rice and Mushrooms (this serves 10-12 i will cut it down maybe by half)
10 1/2 oz can beef consomme
10 1/2 oz can french onion soup
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup melted butter
It calls for a can of sliced mushrooms, I'm not a fan so i will use fresh
1 cup long cooking wild rice uncooked
1 cup long cooking brown rice uncooked
-combine all ingredients in a slow cooker, stir well. cook on low 7-8 hrs until rice is tender.

Apple and Sweet Potato Bake
4 cups apples peeled and sliced
4 cups sweet potatoes peeled and sliced (i will probably use two large ones)
2 t onions (really? who chops two teaspoons of onions?- may use like a quarter of an onion)
3/4 cup apple juice
3/4 cup maple syrup (may leave that out)
1/2 cup melted butter
12 brown and serve pork breakfast sausage (I just bought a regular package of it, and will use have i didn't buy the links or patties- you could leave it out if needed)
-layer apples sweet potatoes and onion in a casserole dish and set aside. combine juice syrup and butter and pour over layered mixture. cover and bake 350 oven for an hour. arrange sausages on top and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until sausage is browned. serves 6.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. I don't know what I will fix tonite. Possibly even both. Enjoy!

Good Morning Oatmeal!

I woke up this morning to my kitchen smelling like a combination of oatmeal cookies and apple pie. Not a bad way to start the day! I just sat down with a bowl of it and it is delicious. I had to turn the setting down to just "warm" last night because it was cooking very quickly. But it turned out great this morning. Am going to start to post what I'm making for dinner early in the day. Today is going to be cranberry chicken (or something like that) and wild rice as a side. Again more Gooseberry Patch recipes. Am trying to make one or two new ones a week. Be back later!

Overnight oatmeal and my love of Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks

Wow! Two posts in one day I'm off to a good start! So once upon a time in an apartment far far away I received a catalog called Gooseberry Patch. It was love at first sight. Lots of cute vintage bowls table linens and accents for the kitchen etc. They also had adorable planners calendars and of course COOKBOOKS. I don't really remember my first one. But I knew  I had to have more. and more. and more. Well my collection has grown to over....over more than most normal people but I love them. They always have a little story to go w the recipe and lots of cozy tips and ideas on the bottom. Sometimes they are somewhat repetitive (I'm sure there 20 different versions of chicken noodle casserole among them) but I still love all of them. They seem to inspire me to do something. Not necessarily cook or bake. But it inspires me to do something. So you will see me posting a lot of recipes from there. As soon as I get my camera situated I will post pics of them and of course what I'm making. Now to the recipe I made tonite. Its for breakfast tomorrow. Its called Overnight Oatmeal from their cookbook called Autumn In The Country... who wouldn't want a cookbook called that?
OVERNIGHT OATMEAL
2 cups milk
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup apple (I used a small to medium size one. I dont think you can  mess this up)
1/2 cup raisins (didnt have so i left this out)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (jack doesnt like this so i left it out)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter (ok almost 2 for me )
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker sprayed w non stick spray. cover and cook low 8-9 hours. serves 4 to 6...
I will let you know tomorrow morning how it comes out (and how wonderful it will smell in the morning!!)

My first blogging day

Well today is my first day to try a blog. I set it up. And now I have no idea whats next. Im looking foward to learning how to make it fun and pretty so to speak. I guess the main reason I started is because for the first time ever I am hosting Thanksgiving and I have lots to do in my house to prepare. I am perpetually disorganized and have the attention span of a housefly. So I thought this was a great way to help me keep on task so to speak. Cant wait to start posting recipes and pictures of all kinds. My plan is to focus on cooking, baking and decorating. Im excited to keep myself inspired and spread it to my readers. Hope you enjoy your time Around the Kitchen Table!