Monthly Archives: December 2011

Heated Swimming Pools

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It’s cold here today, and swimming is the last thing I want to do right now. However, if the pool had an electric pool heater then that would be nice, but I still wouldn’t go swimming unless it was an indoor pool. When I was in high school, though, it was a different story. There was an outdoor heated pool where my friends and I went swimming one time when the temperature was in the 30’s. It was nice as long as we were in the pool, but it was freezing when we got out! I guess that experience is why I would only want to swim in an indoor pool.

So Busy!

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This time of year can get so busy that it’s crazy. I’m trying to cut out what’s not really necessary to do or postpone things that can be done after the holidays. For example, I won’t be getting any term life insurance quotes, etc., this week.  You know the old saying, “Stop and smell the roses.”  That’s especially important this time of year when people can get so busy that they overlook what’s most important.

Recipe for Baked Gouda in Crescent Roll

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Here is a simple and delicious recipe from Becky, a teacher friend of mine. I wondered about the combination of ingredients and was pleasantly surprised how good this is. Becky said that her sons do not even like pears, yet she has to make a double batch of this because they like it so much. It actually has a gourmet quality to it and would be pretty to make it in a colored dish for the holidays.  I used a pie plate, but I think next time I will use a larger dish.

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INGREDIENTS:

  • Gouda Cheese, 8 oz or so
  • 1 can Crescent Rolls
  • 1 can sliced pears with syrup
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup brown sugar

Unroll crescent roll pieces and place in a pinwheel fashion around the pie plate with the thin piece of the roll in the middle of the plate.  Place cheese in the center of the plate and then fold up the pieces of the rolls to cover the cheese.  Pinch the seams together, pour the whole can of sliced pears over the rolls and then sprinkle the top with the brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is starting to ooze out a little.  Serve warm.  Crackers are optional, however, we didn’t eat crackers with it.

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Menu Plan Monday & Fun Desserts for Christmas Parties

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Less than a week until Christmas!  We celebrated Christmas early with our daughter and her family and had turkey breast dinner Friday night, Mexican food for lunch, and then a roast & veggies cooked in the crock pot for Saturday night.  Fortunately, we have enough leftovers so I won’t have to cook much this week.  Plus, it will be such a busy week that we’ll probably have some fast food meals while we’re out and about.   So, our menu for this week is leftovers and fast food or carry out.

Hope everyone can slow down, remember the reason for the season, and not stress over details that people won’t notice anyway.  Make a priority list and do the things that really make a difference.  Simplify where you can!

One last thing, here’s a cute idea to take to a party or potluck this week.

“Melting Snowmen” made by Brandi, a co-worker of mine:

I realized that I forgot to ask her how she made them, but I thought an easy way to do it would be to get Chocolate Cake Donut Holes and dip in melted white chocolate.  Place snowman head in a puddle of melted white chocolate.  Use chow mein noodles for the arms and decorate with colored icing, sprinkles and colored sugar.  Here’s another recipe I found which is probably what my co-worker used:  Melted Snowmen Cookie Balls.
And if you want to see some more really cute ideas, visit our daughter’s blog, Frugal Novice, for 10 Creative & Easy Christmas Desserts (did I mention fun?).

Friendly Friday 12/16/11

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Welcome to Friendly Friday!
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PLEASE NOTE: Due to the holiday next week, Friendly Friday will NOT be posted next Thursday and will instead return at 8 CST on Thursday, December 30th.
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It begins at 8pm Central Thursday nights. Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

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Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select a blog at random and will feature a link and a write-up for that blog in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight one of those each week. Say hello to the lucky one for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):
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Laurie, a stay-at-home mom @ Granite State Savers, and her husband are the proud parents of two little boys, ages six and eight.  While living in Lebanon, NH, so her husband can do his residency, they stay busy keeping the kids busy plus renovating and decorating their house.  Laurie also does couponing with her friend, searching for really good bargains, and blogging.  She loves sharing with others how to save money and has info about a lot of good deals going on right now.  Stop by and check out how much you could save!

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Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share Friendly Friday on your blog!
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All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Don’t forget – Friendly Friday now begins at 8pm Central on Thursday nights!

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the holiday next week, Friendly Friday will NOT be posted next Thursday and will instead return at 8 CST on Thursday, December 30th.


Menu Plan Monday 12/12/11

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Just a few days until Christmas! If you’re needing some special recipes, check out my Recipe Index at the top of my home page.

Monday:   Stir-Fry with Chicken, yellow squash, and onions
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Tuesday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup (this tasted so good to us last week and we want to have it again)

Wednesday:  Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday: Italian Chicken Pasta

Friday: Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast, green bean casserole, corn

 

Slow Cooker Recipe: Boneless Turkey Breast

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Sometimes, there is not much time to get a meal together.  Here is a great recipe for turkey that is delicious!  Just add stuffing, gravy (I use the turkey gravy in a jar when I’m in a hurry), green bean casserole, another vegetable, rolls, and a dessert from your favorite bakery.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3-pound boneless turkey breast
  • Can of chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or minced garlic)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of minced onion flakes (or onion slices)
  • Optional:  your favorite herbs can be added such as fresh rosemary in place of the garlic

In the sink or a large dish, cut the plastic bag off the turkey breast with kitchen shears and also cut off the netting.   There will be a lot of juices in the bag that will make a mess, so be sure to have something to catch the juices.  Then place the turkey with the above ingredients in the crock pot.   Cook on high for 2 hours and then on low for 6-8 hours (which I recommend), or cook it on low for 10-12 hours if you need to start cooking before you leave for work.  If you’re short on time, cook for 4 – 4 1/2 hours on high.  Make sure it’s tender and done in the middle.

Cooking the turkey breast in the crock pot makes it so moist and tender, and I think maybe it’s the best we’ve ever had. And the great thing is that it’s so easy.

Friendly Friday 12/9/11

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Welcome to Friendly Friday!

It begins at 8pm Central Thursday nights. Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

.
Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select a blog at random and will feature a link and a write-up for that blog in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight one of those each week. Say hello to the lucky one for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):
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Lea at Mother Baby Child Blog is a mom to three boys, married to a great guy, and is a born-again Christian. All of these roles play a vital part of who Lea is, and she shares all sides of herself in her posts. She created her blog to share her experience of “starting over” again with a baby in her late 30’s, after having her first child at the age of 21. She shares info on parenting, having a baby, raising children of all ages, Christianity and celebrity mom blog posts, too.

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Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share Friendly Friday on your blog!
.
All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Don’t forget – Friendly Friday now begins at 8pm Central on Thursday nights!



“Take Me Away!”

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The past six weeks have been so hectic with a lot of teacher training for the new state testing system plus seven ARD meetings to prepare for plus just the regular day-to-day stuff that goes with teaching. Add in all the shopping and getting ready for Christmas and I’m ready to go to somewhere like the st lucia resort to recuperate! Remember the old commercial that says “Calgon take me away?” That’s how I feel as well as nearly all the teachers I work with. We’re exhausted and so ready for a break to revitalize!

Meatloaf Recipe – Bev’s Recipe

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Sheila, my college roommate, emailed me this recipe that she received from her cousin, Bev, who says that she makes a “mean meatloaf.” This sounds very tasty and like it would make a special holiday dish for meatloaf lovers.

Meatloaf (serves 3-4)

INGREDIENTS:

  • McCormick Meatloaf dry mix
  • 1 lb ground chuck
  • 1 egg
  • 1 slice white bread, crumbled (let bread sit on counter to dry out for a few minutes- easier to crumble)
  • Diced bell pepper (might only use half, depending on your preference)
  • Diced  small onion
  • Brown sugar (approx 1 ½ cups)
  • Ketchup ( a few squirts)
  • 3 strips raw bacon, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except brown sugar and ketchup.  I use my hands, so that all ingredients really mix and there’s no meat that doesn’t have the dry mix on it.

In a square pyrex dish, place the 3 strips of bacon.  Then add the meat and form into a loaf.  My loaf is fairly flat (probably about 1 ½- 2 inches tall) because I want it to cook thoroughly in the center with no pink.

In a separate small bowl mix, with a fork,  brown sugar and ketchup.  The goal is for the ketchup to wet the brown sugar and turn it into a glaze.  The glaze should not taste ketchup-y.  spread glaze over meatloaf and bake at 400 degrees for 30 mins or so.

Serve with mashed potatoes and English peas!!  Enjoy!!

Video Games

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Our son is in his third year of college. Seems impossible that he’s over halfway through college sometimes. I remember all of the years that we checked out video game software for Christmas and birthdays, not that he’s too old for it now. In fact, our son-in-law is twenty-nine and still loves video games. I must admit that even I enjoy them from time to time (but I won’t tell you how old I am).  I guess some games will remain ageless!