Baked Trout

Another great weekend has come and gone.  Today was a great day as well with temperatures in the  80s.  Got to love Texas and it's weather...cold, warm, wet, dry, windy, stormy...different from hour to hour, day to day.

Before I get to today's dinner menu, I thought I would post the wall I was working on and finished.

Turned out great and just how I imagined it....LOVE the turquoise table I had redone.  It was a desk that my husband had when he was young.  Let me know what you think!

Tonight, I decided to bake some fish.  We love fish in our family.  Today's menu...baked Trout, baked garlic red potatoes, and fresh asparagus.  It's very easy and simple meal, but very healthy for you and your family.

First, start with the trout.  Buy fresh or frozen; your choice.  I chose frozen individual packs that you buy at Sams Club.  Defrost the fish in cold water for 30 minutes.  Then take them out of the packets and place them on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Use your favorite seafood herbs combination and mix it with a half to a whole stick of melted butter.  Pour over fish and bake for 10-15 minutes on 375 degrees.  I added my fresh asparagus seasoned a little with salt and pepper.

again...use your favorite seasonings for fish/seafood

before 

after

To go with it, I made my kids' favorite potatoes.  Wash red potatoes, quartered them, and drizzled olive oil on them and season with Garlic Salt with Parsley and pepper.  I LOVE this seasoning....garlic salt.  It is so good on fresh veggies and meats.  

Because potatoes take longer to cook, put the potaotes in before the fish.  375 degrees for 20 minutes and then put fish in and cook the potatoes with the fish in the oven for the 10-15 minutes.  So the potatoes take 30-35 minutes or until tender and the part against the pan is brown and crispy.  That's the best part!

before 

I did bake some hush puppies to complete the meal!

It was delicious and you can do this recipe with salmon as well!!

Enjoy!

Hallway and Fans Make Overs

Hope everyone had an awesome holiday weekend!  I sure did...spent time with  my family, got some painting done, and watched a few movies!  Last night, I made the spaghetti sauce and Italian meat that I froze.

The sauce is very flavorful and very easy to make...would be great with any pastas or over toast or over a salad, even in a taco shell.

Now let's get to the makeovers.  I recently was given some fans that my Opa had in one of his rent houses.  When he found a good deal on something, he would buy many of that one item. My dad on his last visit to help settle some of his estate brought me back 3 fans.  I had two fans that the motor was going out, so the fan would only go one speed. I was glad to get these fans free....If you don't know me well...I'm extremely frugal!!    When I got these fans, of course, they were in the ugly bright gold and I wanted it in the Oil Rubbed Bronze like I had redone my door knobs in...yes, I redid all my doorknobs back in the Spring in Oil Rubbed Bronze using Rustoleum's spray paint they sell in that color.  Goodbye ugly gold knobs and hindges!!  It's a bit pricey as far as spray paints go, but it is well worth the money.  The color is great, and it covers well.  The fans, therefore, got a much needed face lift to 2013!  And here is one of the 3 I did.....

Left is before and right is after painting, curing, and putting it up.

Paint I used for the project

So don't throw away your old fan if you want to upgrade...just paint it. :0)

Now onto my next project I did this weekend, the hallway.  I've been wanting to do this for some time.  It 's not complete yet.  I have a friend of mine refinishing a desk/table in a distressed turquoise that I will put against the wall and put two pretty lamps on each side.  But first, I had to get the wall painted.  I decided to do a Family Tree Wall!!  It turned out great.  I free-handed the design with paint, but of course, you wouldn't have to do it that way...you could draw it on the wall with pencil or even use a projector to project the image on the wall and trace.  I have just always be good at free-handing designs that I have in my head or see in a picture, so I go for it.   I already had a black gloss paint from a previous project, so you can just use a black indoor wall paint in your favorite brand.  

                    BEFORE

 

                                                                               After

                                                    (Still needs more pictures and the table)

 

This is the base of the tree and 

the Family saying...

You can buy the Family decal at some stores....

It says...

Family

like branches on a tree

we are grow in different directions

yet our roots remain as one

Instead, I just painted it with a very thin paint brush.

                

Added some swirls and leaves

Here is the tree swirls above the 

Family saying....

and the leaves being "blown"

off the tree above the door.

Some of the pictures I've taken of my kids and Rodney and I hung in black frames.

More pictures to hang this week.

In these pictures, you can also see the door knobs and hinges I painted last spring with the same Rustoleum paint as the fans.  It's a great paint and I highly recommend it for any project!!

That is what I did with my holiday weekend....hehe!  I love to do things around the house that makes me happy and makes my house feel more like a home.  I LOVE family picture.  I guess that is why I have a photography business. It makes me smile to see my pictures hanging and sitting around the house.

Hope you enjoyed my latest projects.  I have more fans painted that need to be hung.  Pictures will soon follow.  I'm also hard at work working on next month's recipes for the freezer.  It's shaping up to be a great menu for you and your family.

Be sure to share my blog with others and on your Facebook   I would love to hear from you in the comments section.  I believe you have to become a follower on Google to comment...there's a link to become a member and follow me on the right side of my blog.  

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Eph 2:9: not by works, so that no one can boast.

Breakfast Is Served (Blueberry Muffin Recipe)

Yesterday was a great day.....we finished school, I got the house cleaned, and we had a great dinner in the crockpot to complete the day.  Last night I made the Italian Sausage and Peppers and I served it with chips and queso.  Since I've cut out bread in my diet, I had mine on a salad and I have to say...I didn't miss that hot dog bun!  It froze very well!!

I am so thankful it's Saturday.  On the weekends, I try to cook breakfast instead of just cereal or something we have frozen in the freezer.  Today, since I was having a slice of my blueberry coffee cake I posted on the last post, I thought I would make some blueberry muffins since there's not enough cake left.  Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups Bisquick or any baking mix

1/3 cup sugar (you can use Splenda for diabetics or dieters)

2/3 cup milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix all the ingredients above.  Then fold in fresh or frozen blueberries (about 3/4 cup...I use the pint containers...so I use the whole thing!)  Grease muffin pan with cooking spray and use a ice cream scoop to scoop about 1/2 to 3/4 full per cup.  I divide it to make a dozen muffins.  But if you like big muffins, this would make about 9.  Bake for 13-18 minutes depending on how big the muffins.

About to go in oven

HOT and out of the oven!!  YUM!

You should have heard the excitement through the house when I said "blueberry muffins"!  "Heck YEAH!"...."I could eat the WHOLE pan!" are what I heard....lol.   Enjoy and pray you have a blessed Martin Luther King holiday weekend with your family and friends.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Blueberry Coffee Cake...and the Beef Stew (Cake Recipe)

Like I said in my previous entry, I put the beef stew in the crockpot, that I froze on Sunday, for dinner tonight.  I did put the bag in the microwave for 20 minutes on defrost before putting in the crock. You don't have to if you don't want, but it was easier to get out of the bag that way.  It filled the house with such awesome aroma!  Of course, the family loves it!!

I served it will Dark Sweet Rolls...the kind you get at fancy restaurants before the meal!

After dinner, I thought I would treat the family to a coffee cake to go with milk, or hot cocoa, or coffee....and it would be great for breakfast in the morning as well.

To tweak the recipe, I used Splenda in place of sugar in the dry mixture  but used real sugar for the top of the cake.  And because some of my kids don't like almonds, I just omitted the almonds.  Also, I used fresh blueberries, versus frozen, and didn't dust them with flour.  Let's just say....DELICIOUS!  This will be made again and again!

Just out of oven

Spingform pan

Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 egg

1/2 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt (I used vanilla fat free because it is what I had on hand)

3 tbsp. veg oil

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen (I used fresh)

1 tbsp all purpose flour (I omitted)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp almonds, sliced

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk first 4 ingredients together in large bowl.  Sift together flour, and next three ingredients in another bowl.  Stir flour mixure into the egg mixture.  The batter is very thick.  Toss in 1 1/4 cup blueberries tossed in flour; fold into batter carefully.  Pour into a lightly greased with cooking spray springform pan.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup blueberries, cinnamon, sugar, and almonds.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center comes out clean.  Cool pan for about 15 minutes, remove side of pan.  Enjoy!

Out of pan

YUMMY!!!

Remember, this is a coffee cake so it's not as sweet as a dessert cake.  

Would be a perfect breakfast or snack cake!

Hope you enjoy these recipes!  Beef stew and blueberry coffee cake....who could have asked for anything better on such a busy day of school and volleyball!  And tomorrow's Friday...and if you are lucky...it's a long weekend with Monday being a holiday!  Hope you enjoy time with your family!  I plan to...

I will close with my kids' devotional verse they studied today!  

Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Chipotle Macaroni Casserole And my favorite salad dressing

Last night I made yet made one of the recipes I froze on Sunday. The  Chipotle Macaroni Casserole (which as I said Sunday, I used whole wheat ziti so you can use your favorite pasta) was a HIT!  Delicious.... you have to try this casserole.  And it froze very well and was fast to heat up and virtually NO clean up.

I thought I would also share my favorite salad dressing.  It is low in fat and made of yogurt but you wouldn't know it.  Tastes very good and has a cheesy taste to it so you don't miss the cheese in your salad.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!

I plan on trying more of this brand of dressings and I will let you know what's good and what's not. Tonight we will have the beef stew....it's in the crockpot and will delicious!!  Pics to come!!   Enjoy!

Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Oma and Opa's Treasures

My grandmother has been in Heaven for almost 25 years now, and until recent, her things sat collecting dust in my grandparents' home they shared since the 1950s.  My Opa passed away a little over a year ago, and my aunt (mainly my aunt and cousins since they live there) and Dad have had the horrible task of going through so much of my grandparents things because there's no other word to say but....hoarders.  They kept everything and never got rid of things at all.  I hear of many of their generation who do hoard things because they have gone through wars and economic devastation in their life time.  Can we blame them?  My grandmother was from what was East Germany and was the only one of her family who got out before the wall was built.  She died right before the wall was taken down and destroyed.  She would have been thrilled.  In this process of going through their things, I have gotten some great things of hers that I will cherish.  I washed all of her knick nacs that I received,  antiqued with black paint her great shadow boxes, and now have them displayed in my home!  I LOVE it and thought I would share with all of you.

These are her beloved tea cup and saucer collection.

I remember admiring them as a child.

Decided to put in my curio cabinet (my first gift from my husband after we were married) and

place in my kitchen sitting area.

Closer view

My grandmother's shadow boxes she had up for as long as I remember.  

They were already red and cream so cleaned them and added black to antique them a bit.

The green wine set, crystal bell, and red crystal vase and basket were all hers!

Since taking the above picture, I added her picture that I restored in a frame and put on the shelf.

Lena Martha Nagel Zalasar 

This is the picture I digitally restored.  It had a crease across her face and stains.

After my grandfather passed in August 2011, my dad recieved one of my Opa's uniforms.  

Here is a picture of the shadow box I put together for my dad so he could

enjoy his father's uniform instead of having it hanging in a closet.

  

My dad was very touched when he unwrapped this priceless gift!  

I feel it is a blessing to have things of our family around us to keep their memory alive and make our house a home.  I'd love to hear from you about what you've done with family heirlooms.   

 Psalm 103:17 

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children—

Beef Enchiladas and Teriyaki Chicken

Yesterday, I made the Beef Enchiladas (made one, froze one because I ran out of time Sunday) and served it with tortilla chips.  I normally prefer Chicken Enchiladas but I have to say, these were the best beef enchiladas I've ever had or made.  I did use 2 cups of cheese on this recipe and the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but feel free to do what you want to fit your family.  Recipe is under the blog entry title Recipes.  Enjoy!!

Today I made the Teriyaki Chicken (recipe on previous blog post titled Recipes) from the freezer in the crockpot.  No defrosting, just straight in the crockpot on low all day.  It is so delicious!  I served it with steamed rice and asparagus.  On the rice, I use my rice cooker.  Just add equal parts water to equal parts rice, salt and pepper to taste, and a few bay leaves.  I love bay leaves in my rice and if you have peppercorns, it's delicious in place of the ground pepper.  Of course, if you don't have a rice cooker, use the rice you want and add the bay leaves to it.   Be sure to remove the peppercorns and leaves before serving.  My rice cooker has a steam basket, so I just washed half a bundle of fresh asparagus and that way I didn't have to eat much of the rice since I am watching my starches.  To prepare esparagus, you just bend the stalks hold each end and let it snap naturally.  Throw away the bottom part.  This is definitely a satisfying meal for the family!  Try it...you'll love this and so will your kids.  Shhh....don't tell them it's healthy!

Matthew 25:35

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

Recipes

Hello everyone!  Hope all is well with your family.  It has been a few days since I was on here.  The flu hit our house last week into the weekend.  My oldest son, Ryan, 20, got a severe case of the flu and we are finally on the mend just in time for him to start back to college classes today.  Praying everyone else stays well and your family is spared as well.

Now yesterday, I decided, since I am trying to be healthier and loose my excess weight this year, I would do some meals in advance that are healthy, and I can freeze to make it easier with our busy schedule.  It seems the busier we are, the worse we eat because we just grab a pizza or I make something quick that might not be the healthiest.  On top of planning our meals and cooking ahead, I've saved a LOT of money.  I only spent just under $200 for the month on these meals ( when I say month, I am just including weekdays since those are our busiest days and we do like to go out from time to time.)

I have several recipes I used and I double them all so that I can rotate the meals in then month.  This saves time and money because you can buy bigger cans, bulk items of produce, etc. to cook your meals.  I just place in our outside freezer and leave my freezer in our kitchen for everyday use.  If you are not lucky enough to have two freezers, you can still do these recipes, because they don't take up a lot of space.

So here are the recipes I used for this month.  Next month, I will use another set of recipes and probably the next month.  Then start back on January's list.  That way we are eating things different and not getting bored.  If you don't want to cook and freeze, you can still use these recipes to cook on a daily basis or weekly or however you choose.

Recipes

Chipotle Macaroni Casserole

1 package 7oz macaroni (I used whole wheat ziti)

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans of 14 1/2 oz or 1 can of 28 oz diced tomatoes (do not drain; I used organic)

1 can (16 oz) Kidney beans (omit if you don't like beans)

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, drained

1 - 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder (we don't like things too spicy so I omitted this)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups shredded cheese (I used one cup to cut down on calories)

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (again, I omitted since we don't like spicy food)

Remember, you can do what I did and double the recipe and freeze or double and make one for dinner and freeze one.

In large saucepan or pasta pot, cook pasta.  While pasta cooks, brown beef with onions and garlic in skillet until beef is brown.  Drain fat.  Add tomatoes  beans, paste, chilies, salt, chili powder, cumin and pepper to skillet.  When pasta is finished, Drain and add macaroni noodles to mixture.

Lightly spray two 9x12 casserole pans or use aluminum ones from the store.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Divide mixture evenly into dishes, then top with cheese and jalapenos.  If you only want to make 9x9 pan (brownie pan size) then you can make 4 meals.  Depends on the size of your family.  Cover lightly with foil and cook at 375 for half an hour, then remove foil and bake for 10 minutes until hot and bubbly and cheese has melted and browned a bit. (Mine only took 30 minutes total so be sure to watch.)  

To freeze...let it cool completely.  Then cover and freeze.  On cooking day:  Thaw overnight in fridge.  Put foil on top (should already have that on there from freezer) and bake 375 for 20-25 minutes till heated through.  Serve.

Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken

3 medium unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut in 1/2 in pieces

2 large green peppers, cut into strips

1 large red pepper, cut into strips

1 zucchini, chopped

1 med onion, sliced or chopped

1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca (I don't like tapioca so I will add corn starch to thicken when I cook the dish)

2 lbs chicken thighs or drumsticks

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dump everything into 2 gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, and label for freezer.  On day to cook, place in crock pot and cook all day.  You can defrost in fridge night before, then place in crock pot. 

Crockpot Italian Sausage and Peppers

1lb Italian Sausage Links (I used the extra lean turkey)

2 large bell pepper

1 large onion (I used red onion)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cans Italian diced tomatoes

2 tbsp Italian seasoning  

Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat, freeze.  Since I have a family of 5 with kids that are 20, 16, and 14, I used two packages of links (5 links per package) then divided the other ingredients between the two bags.  That way each bag has 5 links in it for a meal.  Serve on hot dog or sub buns.  And you can add a veggie or chips or potato salad for a side.

Again this one you could make one, freeze one.

Teriyaki Chicken

Medium to large bag of carrots (I peeled them and made large slices)

Red onion in large chunks

2 cans of pineapple chucks undrained

4 cloves garlic

4 chicken breasts

1 cup teriyaki sauce

Again because my family is larger, I used 8 LARGE chicken breasts and split it between.

Split into two bags, seal, mix, lay flat, freeze.

Write on bags....Add additional 1/4 sauce to crock pot and cook on low 6-7 hours.  Serve with hot rice.

Again, you can make one for dinner, freeze one.

Savory Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts (I used 8)

2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 tbs white wine or chicken broth

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth (I used homemade broth from another recipe I am posting but you can buy it as well)

salt, pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves

4 cups broccoli (add when you cook if you are freezing)

Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat, freeze.  I washed and blanched my broccoli and froze it in a separate bag.

Write on bag, Cook in crockpot low 6-7 hours, add broccoli during last 30 minutes, remove bay leaves and serve.

Beef Stew

3 lbs chuck roast cut into chunks (you can have the meat man cut for you if you choose)

6 small red potatoes quartered

1 onion sliced

4 carrots sliced

Freeze in a bag.  Write on bag...cook in crockpot, add 1 pkg dry onion soup mix, 2 cups water, and 1/4 flour (I dilute the flour in the water first)  Cook low high 6-8 hours, low 8-10 hours.

Honey Lime Chicken

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup of soy sauce

1/4 cup of lime juice

6 chicken breast

Bake 350 for 30 minutes or done or grill out.  On this recipe I put the chicken in freezer bags (2 bags with 6 breasts each) then the sauce I put in another container both labeled.

Defrost in fridge overnight before cooking.  

Crockpot Spaghetti sauce

6 large tomatoes diced or use 2 - 28 oz diced tomatoes in can

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion

2 tbsp garlic chopped

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp basil (used fresh if you have it)

1 tbsp thyme

1/2 tbsp herbs de provence

1 cup white wine (or you can use broth)

2 tbsp sugar

salt, pepper to taste

Place all ingredience in a freezer bag, lay flat, freeze.  Write on bag....put in crockpot and cook low 6 hours or high 4 hours.  Serve with spaghetti or penne or with meatballs in a sub.  

Browned Ground Meat 

(Italian and Mexican meat.....Italian for spaghetti or casserole or shepherd's pie.....Mexican for tacos, machos, enchiladas, etc.)

Main recipe

2 lbs ground lean meat (I use 80/20 and buy in bulk or when on sale)

1 large onion chopped

2 shredded carrots (add these to meals to bulk up the meal cheap and add nutrition)

salt, pepper to taste

You can add diced tomatoes as well.

Brown meat, drain  

In Italian meat, put Italian seasoning to taste.  I put about 2-4 tablespoons for 4 lbs. meat.

In Mexican meat, put Taco seasoning.  Same as Italian.  Just taste until you get what you desire.

Place 2 lbs meat per bag ( I cooked 4 lbs each so just split the pan into bags which made 2 of each kind) seal, label, and put in freezer.

Shredded Chicken  

4 - 6 chicken breasts

2 large onions

3-4 carrots in chunks (no need to peel)

4-5 stalks of celery chunks

1 turnip cut in half (optional but worth it!)

salt and pepper

Add to stock pot, cover with water.  boil chicken until done.  Remove chicken, drain stock into a large bowl, toss veggies.  Let stock cool and place in bags in 1 or 2 cup servings or you can freeze them in ice trays and use them as needed.  Great for soups, casseroles, stews, and any recipe needing water or stock.  Just use in place of water for more flavor.  

Shred chicken after cooling, and place in freezer bags, seal, label, and use for tacos, salads, chicken salad, etc.

Beef Enchiladas

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 can (14 1/2 oz) or homemade chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 small chipotle chile in adobe, minced, plus 1 tablespoon of sauce

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

3/4 lbs - 1lb  lean ground beef 

salt and pepper

8 tortillas (6 in)

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese

1/4 cup cliantro chopped

Make sauce:  In saucepan, heat oil 1 1/2 tablespoon over medium, add flour, whisking, 1 minute.  Add broth, broth, chipltle and adobe sauce, and 3/4 cup water.  bring to boil whisking constantly.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until lightly thickened.

Make filling:  heat rest of oil in pan, add onion, beef, and garlic.  brown and season with salt and pepper.  

Preheat oven to 350.  (If freezing, don't place sauce in baking pan)  If not freezing...place 1/4 cup sauce at bottom of pan

Make enchiladas: heat tortillas by placing in microwave for 30 seconds or wrap in foil for 10 minutes in oven.  fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup or so of beef mixutre and 2 tablespoons of cheese.  tightly roll up and place in pan.

Raise heat to 450.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese  Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes.  Let cook 10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with cilatro.

If you are freezing:  Place enchiladas in baking dish without the sauce.  Place the sauce in an airtight container.  Cover dish with two sheets of foil or plastic wrap then foil.  Use in 2 months.  To bake from frozen: remove foil and sprinkle cheese ontop and bake 450 for 30 minutes.  Or defrost in fridge over night, and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Sauce can be defrosted in fridge overnight or in a bath of hot water.  This recipe doubles easily so you can make both and freeze or make one for dinner and freeze the other.

Ok there's the recipes...shew.... I've got writer's cramp!  LOL!

I doubled all these recipes and froze them except the enchiladas which I am cooking tonight one and freezing another.  If you do what I do, make a grocery list of what you need based on what you already have at home.  Then begin prepping veggies...leave the meat in the fridge as long as you can.  Label all your bags for easy assemble.

Ingredients

Veggies

Lean Meats

Pep work of chopping, dicing, slicing

Freezer pic 1

Freezer pic 2

Freezer pic 3

I hope these recipes bring your family joy and happiness.  I hope the freezer method for some help you be able to relax more and spend time with your family during the busy days.  I know when I was working as a teacher, my crockpots were my best friend.  Who wants to cook after a long day of work??  This way, dinner is waiting for you to enjoy when it's dinner time and and you have time to put your feet up or go to soccer practice, or whatever your kids have going that day.  It's a long day of cooking, yes.  But it is worth every bit of time.  Cooking day takes between 5-6 hours but then you are ready for tackle the month with less stress.  Remember, you can use these recipes to make just a week's worth, or just all all the ingredients ready for the week to crock pot.  Whatever fits you best.  

I'd love to hear from you in the comments.  If you have questions, give me a shout too!

Blessings!

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.  Psalms 23:5

Back to School

What a day!  First day back to our schoolwork, and it went great.  I am a certified teacher in Oklahoma and Texas, but for now, I choose to home-school my kids.  My oldest in now in college, but I still have a freshman and junior in high school that I teach at home.  I love it!  It is challenging at times, but I feel it will be worth it in the long run.  God told me to home-school and when He laid it on my heart over 7 years ago, I thought He was mixing me up with someone else!  LOL!  But after almost a year of praying and wrestling with myself, I took the plunge   My husband was on board from the beginning.  Anyway, great first day after the holidays.  Now we count down till Spring Break!  LOL!

Well, onto what you probably care about more, a new recipe.  Tonight, I made pork chops and bacon wrapped asparagus.  I'm trying to loose weight so I didn't make a starch, like mashed potatoes or rice, but it would be delicious with it.  If my boys were home, I would have made one of those for sure!  Anyway.....here it is...

You will need:

Extra virgin Olive Oil
Thin sliced boneless pork chops
Dried basil
salt and pepper
bacon
asparagus

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash asparagus.  You can cut the ends of the asparagus off, or use a trick I learned many years  ago and bend till it breaks.  I did cut about an inch of the bottom this time to make the asparagus all the same size.  Cut the bacon slices in half.  Drizzle olive oil and season your asparagus with only pepper.  It will get enough salt from the bacon.  Wrap the asparagus with bacon. Kind of stretch as you wrap and the bacon will stay put.  Place on a cookie pan lined with foil and sprayed with olive oil spray.  Place pork chops on pan and season with salt, pepper, and sprinkle dried basil on each chop.  Place in oven for 25-30 minutes until chops are done and bacon has crispy edges.

If you notice on the picture, I decided to place one unwrapped asparagus in between wrapped ones.  It still has the great flavor without the bacon....just allows you to have more asparagus on the plate without eating so much bacon...but hey...if you want, ALL can be wrapped!  LOL!

Just out of the oven.

On the plate....because my husband needs a little more...I baked some yeast  dinner rolls to go with it.  And like I said above, you can add your favorite rice or mashed potatoes or baked potato if you'd like!  Would be delish!!

Enjoy!

Please comment if you make this for your family or friends.  I'd love to hear from you!

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  Revelation 3:20

Entry Way Decor

Those who don't know me, I love to decorate and craft.  I LOVE to take old things and make them new again!  Valentine's is fast approaching so I decorated my front entry way.  Many of these things I've found through the years during my thrift shopping or second hand shopping.  The table I found for $25 on a listing on craigslist a few years ago.  It is amazing!  Didn't have to do a thing to it.  I love the white, distressed look.  Lamp I found 15 years ago at a discount store that bought and sold things.  The mirror I found on craigslist a few weeks ago....$5!!!!  I love the gold but if I get tired of it, I might antique it with some black.  I've got my Valentine Scentsy going to an amazing scent, some floral I already had in my craft things inside my grandmother's crystal vase my dad just gave me at Thanksgiving, and of course, I framed our new family pic in my Hobby Lobby red zebra frame! Did I tell you???  I LOVE animal prints ... usually leopard is my fav but love this red frame so I picked it up when they had their 50% off sale! Put our wedding photo in a frame inside the little glass dish..might add some cute glass beads inside the dish later.  Now for the Home Sweet Home framed needlepoint...I found that a few years ago at a second hand shop for $5.  I loved the colors, what it said, and how it was framed!  The cute little cone figurine (not sure what call those) I picked up today for $1.95 at a second hand shop!  Thought it was cute!  I used a valance as the runner....you got it...a valance that I wasn't using!  You could use anything, even a scarf would work!!  More valentine decorations coming soon.....also, I have a new project I will be working on this next few weeks made from an old door I picking up from high school friend, Jennifer!  It's going to be amazing!!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

"We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

Chicken Enchiladas Made Easy

Today, I am posting the first of many recipes.  I sometimes use other recipes I've found that my family loves, make up my own, or use a recipe and substitute and/or ingredients to make it better or to fit what I have on hand or what's on sale at the market.  Today, my men went hunting very early this morning and got home early afternoon and were starving.  I decided to make the "enchiladas" made with taquitos for lunch.  I've made this many of times after my mother-in-law shared this as a quick way to make enchiladas without all the work.  I normally make mine from scratch.  I decided to take her recipe she shared with me and add my own things.

Ingredients:
Chicken taquitos, 1 small box (I bought the big box at Sams and just used enough taquitos to fill the pan.)
Alfredo Sauce, 1 jar
Cream of Chicken soup, 1 can
1 package of shredded cheese of your choice - 2 cups if you shred your own (I used today an Italian blend but you can use Mexican blend, cheddar, etc. Whatever you have on hand)

You can add:
1 can of tomatoes, drain
or even a can of Rotel, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put taquitos single layer in the pan.  I used a 9X13 pan but you can use a cookie sheet as well especially for large crowds.   I even put them on the sides just don't stack them on top of each other for more even cooking.  Combine all the ingredients except the cheese and pour over top and spread evenly over the top.  Then sprinkle the cheese on top.

 Cook for about 45 minutes....until brown and bubbly.  Serve with tortilla chips, Spanish rice, etc.  Enjoy!!

I welcome any comments and would love to hear from you if you make this for your family!

Give us this day our daily bread.  Matthew 6:11

Welcome

I will be adding more things tomorrow and getting recipes up to share.  For now, at the bottom of this blog, I have included seasonal foods for my state of Texas.  Foods in season will be lower in cost and also, can be grown in your garden.  Yes, I have a garden and green house, but with the snow we had on Christmas Day, it is an ugly sight.  I will be working hard on getting the garden cleaned up again and greenhouse up and running soon!  For now, enjoy and be sure to share my blog!  I need as many followers as I can get!  LOL!

(I've committed myself to posting a bible verse that goes as closely to my post or what the Lord lays on my heart at that time.  It's small way of getting more to read the Word!)

In simple humility, let our gardener God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. James 1: ~21

I Did It

I did it!! Here is my blog....a blog of all my passions...teaching, cooking, decorating, and living life as a wife, mom, teacher, friend, and daughter of God!  I am very excited to get started.  I have included a picture of my wonderful family.  My husband Rodney of 21 years, my sons Ryan and John, and my daughter Rachel.  I am a photographer and own Memories by Lola so from time to time, I will share with you some of my favorite photo shoots.  Mostly, this blog will be a means to sharing awesome recipes, decorating, occasionally homeschooling my kids, and just living life!  Thanks for being a part of my adventure called Life.

  

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:1