I've had numerous requests for these 2 recipes since Thanksgiving, so I'm posting them here for those that have asked for them! Hope you enjoy and add them to your Christmas menu this year!
We were introduced to this first recipe by our Pastors in Arkansas at Victory Church. Being so far from our family for the 5 years we served there, we often spent our holidays with The Coffman's and they graciously adopted us into their family during that time! And one of the many things we gleaned from them during those years was this delicious recipe that Ms. Jeanne, our Pastor's wife, would serve every Thanksgiving and Christmas! This is definitely the way to get your kids to eat their veggies! And EVERY time I make it for family, friends or a church function I am inundated by requests for the recipe! It's so easy and DELICIOUS! I usually prepare it the night before the big meal so I can just pop it in the oven when it's almost time for dinner.
Ms. Jeanne's Veggie Casserole
2 lb frozen mixed veggies (green bean, carrot, corn mix)
8 oz sour cream
1 C mayonaise
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 roll Ritz crackers
1/2 C butter
Cook veggies, drain water, salt & pepper to taste. Mix sour cream & mayonaise. Combine with veggies & cheese. Crush crackers & mix with melted butter. Put cracker mixture on top. Cook at 350 for 20 min if you are making it fresh, if you have had it in the fridge overnight, cook for 45 to 1 hr. (Tip: I usually double the crackers/butter mix so there is a nice thick topping to spread across the top.)
The next recipe comes from a good friend of mine who brought us some meals while Donnie was recovering from one of his surgeries and she also had baked us a loaf of fresh banana bread. It was so delicious I had to have her recipe! Every year I ask her for it again because I never put it in my recipe box, but now it's official on it's very own index card! I like to give them as gifts but we always keep several loaves for home too. Donnie hates bananas, but he LOVES this banana bread!
Lisa's Banana Bread
1 C sugar
2 eggs
2 bananas
dash salt
1/2 C butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 T milk
2 C flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C pecans optional
Mash the bananas until it has the consistency of baby food. Mix your dry ingredients and then mix in the wet ingredients. Add pecans as desired. Bake at 350 for 1 hr. (Tip: If giving as gifts, this recipe will make 3 mini loafs.)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Harvest Festivals.
Carnival games. Twinkling lights. Hay rides.
Hot dogs with chili. Nachos. Candy. Tummy aches.
Sticky hands & faces. Stinky feet. Grumpiness.
More candy. Brushing of teeth.
Tucking in bed. Prayers.
Daylight savings time. Ibuprofen for mommy. ... What a wonderful day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Hot dogs with chili. Nachos. Candy. Tummy aches.
Sticky hands & faces. Stinky feet. Grumpiness.
More candy. Brushing of teeth.
Tucking in bed. Prayers.
Daylight savings time. Ibuprofen for mommy. ... What a wonderful day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Perfect Night
A cold, wet, dark, rainy evening.
Candlelight.
Red Box.
My sweet family.
Candy corn.
And my favorite, fuzzy blanket.
Wishing you a cozy evening!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Candlelight.
Red Box.
My sweet family.
Candy corn.
And my favorite, fuzzy blanket.
Wishing you a cozy evening!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Happy Birthday Little Big Man!
Today is my son Kellan's Seventh Birthday.
My first born child.
He is such a sweetheart. 
Mellow as can be, Mr. Easygoing.
Thoughtful.
Silly.
Happy.
Accomplished.
Goofy.
Perfect.
Happy Birthday Big Boy!
I love you!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Like Clockwork.
Fall is here! And it arrived right on time this year which is absurdly abnormal. So I'm making a list of my seasonal to do's to start on this weekend since it caught me a little off guard by coming on time! If you're interested in some money savers or new ideas for this time of year, read my to do list below:
1. Go through the kids fall/winter clothing to see if anything still fits and then off to the consignment shop to refurbish their wardrobe.
~ This is something I've been doing for years! If you are looking for a way to save money on your children's ever changing wardrobe, check out your local consignment stores or second hand kids clothing places like Once Upon A Child. Most of these stores will take your gently used, non-stained, outgrown or out of season clothing and give you a store credit towards any clothing or other items in their store, or if you prefer they will give you cash. They'll even take gently used toys or strollers that your child has outgrown. It's a Win-Win!
2. Fall 'Spring' Cleaning.
~ Okay, my husband would tell you that cleaning is a weak point for me. There's just something about it that sets my ADD on hypermode and I can't seem to gather my senses to do it all at once. But just like with Spring cleaning, in the Fall it's nice to have everything perfectly presentable for the upcoming holidays, so things like baseboards, corners, ceilings, curtains and so on could use a little extra attention to perk up the house. Now if I could just get it all done quickly. Here's where I need the maid to come in and help me out! (I wish!)
3. Spice things up in the house.
~ Yes, it's time to find my fall colored/scented candles, change the flowers, pull out the Autumn wreath and scarecrows. A few years ago I even started making my own potpouri! I took the orange peels from children's fruit snacks, some cinnamon sticks left over from Christmas the year before, a couple of cloves, tap water, a large sauce pot and Voila! ... Instant homemade potpourri boiling on the back burner of my stove while I finish up the laundry. I also like to start some baking when it starts cooling off outside, like my infamous Amish cookies so I can enjoy them with a cup of hot tea or cocoa. Ahhhh, delightful!
Well, that's the short list anyway! If only it was as pretty here as in NC where I grew up or AR where I was blessed to live a few years ago. I miss all the rich reds, oranges and golds of the trees. Hope you all enjoy the arriving fall as much as I am!
1. Go through the kids fall/winter clothing to see if anything still fits and then off to the consignment shop to refurbish their wardrobe.
~ This is something I've been doing for years! If you are looking for a way to save money on your children's ever changing wardrobe, check out your local consignment stores or second hand kids clothing places like Once Upon A Child. Most of these stores will take your gently used, non-stained, outgrown or out of season clothing and give you a store credit towards any clothing or other items in their store, or if you prefer they will give you cash. They'll even take gently used toys or strollers that your child has outgrown. It's a Win-Win!2. Fall 'Spring' Cleaning.
~ Okay, my husband would tell you that cleaning is a weak point for me. There's just something about it that sets my ADD on hypermode and I can't seem to gather my senses to do it all at once. But just like with Spring cleaning, in the Fall it's nice to have everything perfectly presentable for the upcoming holidays, so things like baseboards, corners, ceilings, curtains and so on could use a little extra attention to perk up the house. Now if I could just get it all done quickly. Here's where I need the maid to come in and help me out! (I wish!)3. Spice things up in the house.
~ Yes, it's time to find my fall colored/scented candles, change the flowers, pull out the Autumn wreath and scarecrows. A few years ago I even started making my own potpouri! I took the orange peels from children's fruit snacks, some cinnamon sticks left over from Christmas the year before, a couple of cloves, tap water, a large sauce pot and Voila! ... Instant homemade potpourri boiling on the back burner of my stove while I finish up the laundry. I also like to start some baking when it starts cooling off outside, like my infamous Amish cookies so I can enjoy them with a cup of hot tea or cocoa. Ahhhh, delightful!Well, that's the short list anyway! If only it was as pretty here as in NC where I grew up or AR where I was blessed to live a few years ago. I miss all the rich reds, oranges and golds of the trees. Hope you all enjoy the arriving fall as much as I am!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Staples.
What are your staples? In my house a few would be mayonaise, ketchup, bread, ham, brown rice, and Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame salad dressing (so yummy on a salad and trust me, cook your chicken in it and you will LOVE it forever). Well, those are the basics for us anyway! What about you? What is it you can't live without?
I've been thinking. Yes, I know that sounds a little dangerous, but really, I've been thinking about a few of the things that I love most in this world. And although chocolate, books and my favorite blanket may be difficult for me to imagine living without, I can gulp and shiver and acknowledge that I can manage, somehow, without those things. They are more of a luxury than a necessity. They are indulgences that give me warm fuzzies, but they aren't essential for my daily living. So what is it that really matters? What is truly valuable? What is it that I cannot live without?
A few years ago, I was going through some personal trials. I was missing my mom after her passing and learning the responsibilities of being an adult with my own family. I was a role model as a worship leader but felt like a failure in some personal choices I had made. I was thankful for God's grace but I was worried about my husband and my children. I wished I could be more like my mom and yet wise enough to learn from her mistakes. I wanted more for my life, more for my family, more for my children's future than I was capable of giving them myself. I was overwhelmed and felt inadequate and incomplete.
With all of this turmoil swirling in my mind, I was on the platform at church leading worship with my husband and we began singing "Lord, I Give You My Heart". As my lips formed the words of the line "All that I adore is in You", I felt lightheaded with the truth of what I was singing. All my fears, anxieties, failures and worries literally melted away as I envisioned my concerns about my family ~ my sweet husband and my precious babies ~ in God's hands. In HIS hands.
I've realized that there are many things that I CAN live without in my life. I don't have to have the fanciest car or home, I don't have to have the latest style of fashion on my back or on my feet. My essentials, my staples, my necessities are my family, my dear friends and my Savior. So I encourage you today to take stock, do some inventory and determine those things that are life to you.
Enjoy a moment of worship, meditation or internal searching as you listen to this video below and give all that you adore to God's hands. My heart hopes your heart hopes today.
I've been thinking. Yes, I know that sounds a little dangerous, but really, I've been thinking about a few of the things that I love most in this world. And although chocolate, books and my favorite blanket may be difficult for me to imagine living without, I can gulp and shiver and acknowledge that I can manage, somehow, without those things. They are more of a luxury than a necessity. They are indulgences that give me warm fuzzies, but they aren't essential for my daily living. So what is it that really matters? What is truly valuable? What is it that I cannot live without?A few years ago, I was going through some personal trials. I was missing my mom after her passing and learning the responsibilities of being an adult with my own family. I was a role model as a worship leader but felt like a failure in some personal choices I had made. I was thankful for God's grace but I was worried about my husband and my children. I wished I could be more like my mom and yet wise enough to learn from her mistakes. I wanted more for my life, more for my family, more for my children's future than I was capable of giving them myself. I was overwhelmed and felt inadequate and incomplete.With all of this turmoil swirling in my mind, I was on the platform at church leading worship with my husband and we began singing "Lord, I Give You My Heart". As my lips formed the words of the line "All that I adore is in You", I felt lightheaded with the truth of what I was singing. All my fears, anxieties, failures and worries literally melted away as I envisioned my concerns about my family ~ my sweet husband and my precious babies ~ in God's hands. In HIS hands.I've realized that there are many things that I CAN live without in my life. I don't have to have the fanciest car or home, I don't have to have the latest style of fashion on my back or on my feet. My essentials, my staples, my necessities are my family, my dear friends and my Savior. So I encourage you today to take stock, do some inventory and determine those things that are life to you. Enjoy a moment of worship, meditation or internal searching as you listen to this video below and give all that you adore to God's hands. My heart hopes your heart hopes today.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
It's My Favorite
Summer has ended and school has started. The past month was full of summer's last hurrahs: slip-n-slides, bouncy houses, water parks, $1.00 movies and popsicles. And now the days are filled with pencils, erasers, notebooks, crayons & Elmer's glue. Something about school supplies just makes me downright giddy. I guess it's the nerd in me, but I have always loved buying journal-sized notebooks and finding the perfect pen, and oh, the intoxicating scent of magic markers! Don't worry, I'm not an abuser, it's just one of those scents that I 'sparingly' love!
If you know me well, then you know my favorite season is arriving. Oh the yummy fall! Amish cookies are just waiting to be made (a family tradition my mom started when I was a teen, oh so long ago) and enjoyed with a cup of hot tea. My extra blankets have been freshly laundered and are ready to be pulled up to my chin and inhaled just like on those detergent commercials! I'm just about to break into the box of autumn deco in its rich kaleidoscope of fall colors to make my house match my mood. And I can't wait to hear Kellan try to pronounce 'cornucopia' again!
I've even started counting the days to Christmas and driving some people crazy with my anticipation for the Holidays. It's funny, just about this same time last year the Christmas fever hit me, but then Emmi started it that time (click here to read that blog). We have been in the process for a few weeks now of going through Holiday music to start preparing our singers and musicians for Christmas. Donnie & I were up until 3:00 one morning last week robustly singing Christmas carols. Thank God we didn't wake the kids when we were singing Silent Night, because it wasn't very silent!
I can't wait to get started on some crafty Christmas projects that I've got planned. Surprises await a chosen few this year! Don't worry, it won't be an ill fitting sweater or a macrame plant holder. Closer to Christmas I'll post pictures of the fun stuff I'm making. I'd do it now but I don't want to spoil the fun for the people I'm forcing my handiwork on! And yes, I'll make all the family favorite goodies including the Amish cookies too. Fudge with walnuts, Great Grandmother's Icebox Fruitcake, Donnie's Pralines and maybe some Divinity this year too. Yum, yum and YUM!
I've been closing my eyes at night imagining how we will decorate our trees this year. Yes, I said 'trees'. We have 4 trees to be exact. Ummm, can you tell we love the holidays? Between mine, Donnie's, all the Christmas decorations we've inherited from my mom, his Maw-Maw and what we've acquired together in our 8 years of marriage my head spins to think of the plethera of Christmas boxes we have collected. Santa Clauses and snow globes, ornaments and lights, trees and bows, wreaths and nativity scenes. It goes on and on and on (and on and on and on).
Last week I went to pick up Kellan from school in the stifling heat and lost my Christmas high for just a moment as I touched the burning hot steering wheel and screeched out a higher note than I thought was possible for me. But that didn't last long. I just can't control my thoughts from drifting back to Christmas! I even started searching for year-round online Christmas stations while imagining candy canes doing a chorus line dance in my head. That's close enough to the sugar-plums from 'The Night Before Christmas' isn't it?
But I guess I'll have to endure the remaining 106 days, 9 hours and 42 minutes until Christmas arrives. In the meantime I'll be gathering supplies for my Christmas crafts, practicing for our Christmas program, and making my house smell like cinnamon and pumpkins. Oh I love this time of year!!!
If you know me well, then you know my favorite season is arriving. Oh the yummy fall! Amish cookies are just waiting to be made (a family tradition my mom started when I was a teen, oh so long ago) and enjoyed with a cup of hot tea. My extra blankets have been freshly laundered and are ready to be pulled up to my chin and inhaled just like on those detergent commercials! I'm just about to break into the box of autumn deco in its rich kaleidoscope of fall colors to make my house match my mood. And I can't wait to hear Kellan try to pronounce 'cornucopia' again!I've even started counting the days to Christmas and driving some people crazy with my anticipation for the Holidays. It's funny, just about this same time last year the Christmas fever hit me, but then Emmi started it that time (click here to read that blog). We have been in the process for a few weeks now of going through Holiday music to start preparing our singers and musicians for Christmas. Donnie & I were up until 3:00 one morning last week robustly singing Christmas carols. Thank God we didn't wake the kids when we were singing Silent Night, because it wasn't very silent!I can't wait to get started on some crafty Christmas projects that I've got planned. Surprises await a chosen few this year! Don't worry, it won't be an ill fitting sweater or a macrame plant holder. Closer to Christmas I'll post pictures of the fun stuff I'm making. I'd do it now but I don't want to spoil the fun for the people I'm forcing my handiwork on! And yes, I'll make all the family favorite goodies including the Amish cookies too. Fudge with walnuts, Great Grandmother's Icebox Fruitcake, Donnie's Pralines and maybe some Divinity this year too. Yum, yum and YUM!I've been closing my eyes at night imagining how we will decorate our trees this year. Yes, I said 'trees'. We have 4 trees to be exact. Ummm, can you tell we love the holidays? Between mine, Donnie's, all the Christmas decorations we've inherited from my mom, his Maw-Maw and what we've acquired together in our 8 years of marriage my head spins to think of the plethera of Christmas boxes we have collected. Santa Clauses and snow globes, ornaments and lights, trees and bows, wreaths and nativity scenes. It goes on and on and on (and on and on and on). Last week I went to pick up Kellan from school in the stifling heat and lost my Christmas high for just a moment as I touched the burning hot steering wheel and screeched out a higher note than I thought was possible for me. But that didn't last long. I just can't control my thoughts from drifting back to Christmas! I even started searching for year-round online Christmas stations while imagining candy canes doing a chorus line dance in my head. That's close enough to the sugar-plums from 'The Night Before Christmas' isn't it?But I guess I'll have to endure the remaining 106 days, 9 hours and 42 minutes until Christmas arrives. In the meantime I'll be gathering supplies for my Christmas crafts, practicing for our Christmas program, and making my house smell like cinnamon and pumpkins. Oh I love this time of year!!!
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