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!

Menu Plan Monday & Black-Eyed Pea Recipe

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Counting down: 20 days until Christmas! If you’re needing some special recipes, check out my Recipe Index at the top of my home page.
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My mother nearly always made black-eyed peas with snaps, so that’s one reason I like snaps so much.  Also, they just taste good!  So here’s and easy, healthy recipe for Black-Eyed Peas with Snaps & Ham:
INGREDIENTS:

  • Pictsweet Field Peas with Snaps
  • 1/3 package Hormel Natural Choice “Smoked Deli Ham” (No preservatives, 100% Natural)
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the fat in this recipe is healthier than fat from ham)
  • Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook peas & ham according to directions on the package of peas.  I use about 1/3 package of ham.  Let everyone add olive oil, salt & pepper to taste.  This is so good and healthy.

Here’s our menu for this week:

Monday:  Hormel Natural Choice Deli Ham sauteed in olive oil (2/3 pkg), Black-Eyed Peas, baby carrot sticks

Tuesday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup (didn’t have it last week after all)

Wednesday: Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday:  Italian Chicken Pasta

Friday: Pizza

 

Checking My List

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December is here, and it’s time to get in high gear getting ready for Christmas. I have plenty of wrapping paper that we got after Christmas at Target one year , so we’re doing fine in that department. Now, I just need to check and make sure we have tape, utility knives, scissors, and packing tape for any packages that need to be mailed. We have just about everything on our gifts-to-buy list. I still need to find several gifts for the people I work with and some friends, but we already have gifts for family, gifts for my students at school, for the two tutoring students, etc. I keep checking my list, though, to make sure I haven’t forgotten anybody or anything.

Friendly Friday 12/2/11

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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):
.–
A married, twenty-something, full-time accountant, recent graduate, mommy of two adorable kitties and one gorgeous new baby girl, Amy of Heard It From The Hillsis one busy mom. You’ll find everything from reviews, giveaways, freebies, deals, personal updates and more that are filled with great pictures (especially of baby Riley)! If you are pregnant or have recently had a baby, you’ll love to see all of the wonderful items and posts that Amy has about baby products… and see how she chronicled her pregnancy with photos of her growing bump!

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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!



Menu Plan Monday 11/28/11

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December is almost here and just 27 days until Christmas! If you’re needing some special recipes, check out my Recipe Index at the top of my home page.  For this week, here is a completely different menu which will surprise a few of you since I have three brand new recipes, thanks to Allrecipes.com.

Monday:   Turkey Waldorf Pita  (This recipe is nostalgic to me because it sounds just like what my grandmother and my mother would make after we had a turkey, only minus the pita bread.)

Tuesday:  Turkey Hash

Wednesday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday:  Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

Friday:  Salmon Chowder