Chocolate Chip Pie – Easy & Delicious!

This is so good and such an easy recipe with a great homemade taste!  This would be perfect for Mother’s Day or any special occasion or dinner.  (Someone made this for our daughter and s-i-l recently after the birth of their second baby, and we all really liked it.)

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Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

½ cup margarine, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans (opt.)

1 unbaked (9-inch) pie shell

Cream the sugar, margarine and vanilla in a mixer bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, beating until blended. Stir in the flour, chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon into the pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Watermelon Lemonade

I saw this delicious sounding lemonade recipe from GooseberryPatch.com and wanted to share it with you.   It’s from their Summer in the Country cookbook. Wouldn’t this make a nice treat on Mother’s Day?

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 cups watermelon, chopped
  • 1 cup sugar  (I would substitute half of the sugar with Stevia equivalent.)
  • 1 1/2 cups lemon juice
  • 6 cups cold water

Process watermelon in a blender until smooth.  Set aside.  In a large pitcher, combine sugar and lemon juice.  Stir until sugar is dissolved and then add in the water.  Add in the watermelon and mix well.  Serve chilled.  Stir well before serving.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Buying Wholesale

We used to have a neighbor who would go to market and buy wholesale, but that was a long time ago.  Anyone in business today is especially trying to find the best deals they can on wholesale merchandise because shoppers are looking to find the best prices they can.  So sellers need to buy their merchandise at a good price so they can sell it at a good price in today’s market.

Four Foods On Friday 75

#1. Blueyes’ question:  What’s your favorite seafood recipe?

Very simple:  Put a little olive oil in the skillet.  Place a salmon filet in the skillet.  Sprinkle with fish seasoning.  (My favorite is Colorado Spice’s Salmon & Trout Seasoning.)  Cook 10 minutes for each inch of filet thickness.
#2. Italian Ice. Like it, love it or leave it?

I like it OK.
#3. What’s your favorite crunchy food? (anything – pickles, chips, fruit, etc.)

Hmmm….is popcorn considered crunchy?
#4. Have you ever eaten so much of something that you felt or got sick?

Not that I can remember.

Fruit Kabobs with Poppyseed Dip

With spring already here and summer fast approaching, it’s nice to have a light dessert or snack such as fresh fruit.  And since this is the time of year when fruit is at its best, this is just too good to pass up.  Kids will think it’s fun eating fruit off skewers.  Our 20 month old grandson loves to dip food into sauces, so even young children will have fun eating fruit.

This healthy recipe comes from Coming Home With Gooseberry Patch at   GooseberryPatch.com

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 cups bite-size pieces of fresh fruit such as strawberries, melons, pineapple, & kiwi
  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon poppy seed
  • 6-8 wooden skewers

Arrange fruit on skewers. For Poppyseed Dip, mix remaining ingredients. Serve dip alongside fruit kabobs.

 

Hormones!!

Skin care is a lifelong thing. I hate it when I get a random blackhead or pimple (or “zit”). I had one on my forehead a couple of weeks ago and thought where did that come from? Our daughter just had a baby, and her skin is breaking out just a little from hormones. I think nearly all pimples, zits, acne, or whatever you call it, are affected by hormones!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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In case someone doesn’t know, Cinco de Mayo means “May 5” in Spanish.  When I think of May 5, I think of when I used to teach school and a lot of teachers would wear Mexican dresses (two of my dresses are in the picture), we would do Cinco de Mayo activities with the students, and the Hispanic teachers there would treat the faculty and cook authentic Mexican food for lunch.  The food was awesome!

If you would like to read more about the origin of Cinco de Mayo and about activities for children and the family, then visit Cinco de Mayo: Origin, Activities, & Books for Children on my site, “How to Teach Kids.”

Losing Weight

I would like to lose maybe three or four more pounds, five pounds at the most. I don’t need diet pills to lose a few pounds because just eating healthy, cutting out junk foods, and going for walks is usually what I do to lose a few pounds. Some people may want to lose more, and if they choose to use diet pills then they should consult their doctor.

Wow! We Got a LOT of Rain!

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It rained so hard here in Texas on Saturday that our driveway and sidewalk flooded briefly.  We have a French Drain, but there was too much water all at once and the drain couldn’t handle it.  In the top picture, you can see how much of our driveway is covered with water.   It was quite a storm!

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In the second picture, there’s a step to get from the sidewalk to the porch.  The water completely flooded our sidewalk, part of our flower bed, and began to come upon the porch.  Thankfully, that’s as far as it got.  We’ve never had to use sandbags, but I was beginning to think I might have to get out towels and blankets to put in our entryway if the water got any higher.

After the storm passed, we drove around looking at all the high water.  We were able to help a lady who got stranded and then accidentally locked out of her car.  Her purse and cell phone were locked in her car, and so she was standing out in the rain trying to get someone to stop and help.  She was so appreciative when we stopped!

Natural Lunchmeat with NO Nitrates, Nitrites, or Artificial Ingredients

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Hormel Natural Choice is the only pre-packaged lunch meat that I usually buy.  It’s all natural and so I don’t have to worry about any unwanted nitrates, nitrates, or MSG that can mess up our hormones.   It’s gluten-free and doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients.  And the great thing is that it tastes good!  We usually get the Oven Roasted Deli Turkey, Honey Deli Turkey, or Smoked Deli Turkey.   The ham is good, too.  We haven’t tried the beef yet, but I imagine it’s just as good as the turkey or ham.  Here is their site where you can get Hormel Natural Choice coupons.

Visiting New Grandbaby

If anyone is wondering where I am, I’m out visiting our daughter and son-in-law and helping take care of the two grandbabies, cooking some, etc.  If you are a grandma, then you know what I mean when I tell you how much fun I’m having.  I’m helping take care of our 20 month old grandson, Baby J, and our newborn grandson who is two weeks old.  Both are adorable, but there’s something so special about a newborn baby.  Their sweet little newborn sounds, cute faces they make, and the way they move their little arms are so precious.  Baby J is doing and saying the cutest things, has favorite words such as “no” (lol), “uh-oh,” “mess,” “shoes,” and is presently referring to me as ‘Bobba” since grandma is hard to say.  We asked him to say grandpa, and he said something like “Passa.”  So I guess temporarily (?), we’re Passa and Bobba which is adorable to us.

I plan to be heading back home tomorrow.  My husband jokingly told a friend that I had left him for two younger men and then explained about our two grandbabies.  He’s so glad I can be out here to help, too.

Four Foods On Friday 74

We’re thankful that Val’s surgery went well!  She’s the author of Four Foods on Friday.

#1. What’s your favorite flavor of yogurt?

Blueberry
#2. Got a recipe for a smoothie?

Fresh Pineapple Smoothie
#3. Got a recipe for split pea soup?

My mother made a very simple split pea soup that was delicious.  I wish I had asked how she made it.  Seems like she would cook the peas with some diced onion in water until the peas thickened the water to a creamy soup consistency, and then she would add milk, butter, salt, and pepper.
#4. What’s your favorite kind of pudding?

Tie – banana pudding and chocolate pudding