Fruited Turkey Salad

I first had fruited chicken salad years ago at a company Christmas party. It was served on delicate mini croissants and was simply wonderful. It took me a while to find a recipe but once I did, there's no going back.

Homemade Fruited Turkey Salad

Ingredients
~ Turkey or Chicken, cut into small pieces
~ Mayonnaise
~ Grapes, cut in half or quartered depending on size - I like to use red and green grapes
~ Onions (optional)
~ Celery (optional)
~ Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
~Notice that there are no measurements, simply use what you have in the proportion that tastes right. Simply fold it all together and chill until ready to serve. I like to eat this on croissants or toasted slices of bread.

Fruited Turkey Salad

I hope you've been inspire to try this for your family.
Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Pr. 31:27

Smashed Raspberries & Hot Cocoa

This is one of those things that can really pick you up on a chilly spring morning. It really doesn't take long to make and it's something that you can sneak, all for yourself, before the kids get up. Of course you can opt to share it. Smashed Raspberries are also very good over pancakes, waffles and even pineapple upside down cake.

~ Smashed Raspberries on an English Muffin and a mug of Hot Cocoa ~

Smashed Raspberries
~ 10 oz. bag of frozen raspberries
~ Smash your berries in a pan with a little water and add a half cup of raw sugar.
~ Heat and stir until the contents begin to boil. If it is too runny, you may add a bit of arrowroot or white flour to thicken it.

Hot Cocoa
~ When making hot cocoa I use milk and follow the directions on the back of my cocoa since they all seem to differ slightly in taste. If there are no directions I use 2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa for every cup of milk and add raw sugar until it is sweet enough for me.

I hope that you are doing well,
Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
 Psalms 119:103

Homemade Chicken Stroganov

Chicken Stroganov is my older son's favorite dish. Every time I ask him what he wants for dinner this is what he asks for. Apparently, this is a favorite for everyone since there are never any leftovers.

Homemade Chicken Stroganov 

Ingredients
~ 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (chicken thighs work well also)
~ 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
~ 1 large onion, chopped
~ 1 1/4 cup sour cream
~ 2 tablespoons of plain salsa
~ salt and pepper to taste

Direction
~ Heat the oil in a large pan and cook onion until soft
~ Remove the onions from the pan and add the chicken. Cook on medium until done and lightly colored.
~ Add the onions back to the pan. Stir in the sour cream and salsa and heat to boil.
~ Take off the heat and mix in salt and pepper to taste.
~ Serve over egg noodles or rice.

I hope you have been inspired to try this for your family.
Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
 1 Corinthians 10:31

Homemade French Toast

Today I'd like to share with you one of my childhood favorites. This recipe is my Grandmother's interpretation of the classic French toast. My children ask for it regularly and thankfully, this recipe is very quick and easy to whip up.

Homemade French Toast, Cheese Omelet, & Sliced Oranges

Any type of bread works fine for French toast but I like to mix it up and use a variety of fun breads. Among my favorites are Texas Toast, Potato Bread, and Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

Ingredients:
~ 2 eggs, beaten
~ 1/2 cup milk
~ 1 teaspoon sugar
~ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
~ a few shakes of ground cinnamon
~ 4-6 slices of bread

Directions:
~ Pour eggs into a shallow container (I like to use glass pie plates for this) and add the milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork.
~ Lay bread slices into the mixture, one at a time, flipping quickly to cover both sides without absorbing too much of the mixture into the bread.
~ Fry on a greased griddle until golden brown on each side, making sure that no egg is left raw.
~ Serve warm with syrup.

I hope you've been inspire to try this for your family.
Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
 1 Corinthians 10:31

** This Is Not A Sponsored Post **

Individual Baked Eggs

One of my favorite breakfasts is baked eggs. This recipe is so simple and so customizable, that it's perfect for those mornings where everyone wants something just a little different.

I like to use a large casserole dish to place my individual serving dishes in. It helps to keep everything easy to handle. Start by greasing your ramekins. I use butter for this.

This morning I opted to start with spinach on the bottom but you can also use fried potatoes, sliced zucchini, cooked meat, or whatever you like.

Once you have the vegetables and/or meats, you are ready to add your eggs. Usually I add two beaten eggs to each dish but today I used whole eggs. Another option would be to use only the egg whites.

Lastly, I added cheese and herbs. This step can be done before you put your dishes in the oven or after the eggs are mostly set.

Baking time will vary from 20-40 minutes based on how "done" you like your eggs. Use a shorter time if you like "runny" eggs and longer time for "firm" eggs. I tend toward the firm eggs, myself, so we usually let them bake for the full 40 minutes.

Until next time,

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"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
 1 Corinthians 10:31

Pancake and Waffle Mix ~ Annie's Organic

We love pancakes and often have "breakfast for dinner". Generally this includes pancakes, fried eggs, hash-browns, beef sausage and perhaps some fruit and yogurt. A few months ago, while at the discount grocery, I picked up a case of Annie's Organic Pancake and Waffle Mix at an extremely great price. I usually make my pancakes from scratch. However, I was curious to see if a box mix would be a lot faster and easy enough that the kids could make pancakes themselves.

As it turns out, the box mix is easy and the kids are able to follow the directions easily. I didn't find that the process was any faster, however. The only change that we made was to add cinnamon to the batter because we like cinnamon in our pancakes.

The pancakes looked and tasted relatively the same as the ones that I make from scratch. So, the real selling point for this mix is that it's less expensive to purchase the organic box mix instead of purchasing all the organic ingredients separately.

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
 1 Corinthians 10:31

** This is not a sponsored post. 

Homemade Baked Apples

I was fortunate enough to find organic apples on sale for fifty cents a pound and I picked up about ten pounds. I decided to make a batch of baked apples before the children ate them all. The recipe is very simple and there are no measurements. Just use what you have and enjoy.

Ingredients:
~ Apples, cored and sliced thin
~ Butter
~ Sugar
~ Cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Place apples in a casserole dish. Sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon. Add pats of butter around the top. Bake for 45 min - 1 hour, stirring half way through cooking time. Serve warm or cool. Enjoy.

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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Pr. 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

Homemade Baked Beans

Months ago I picked up a pile of dried beans from the store. Today I'll share the #2 most requested dish by my kids.... Yep, it's baked beans.

The ingredients are simple but it this is not an instant gratification dish. It's best to start early because there's really no way to rush it.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry beans (I'm using Great Northern Beans today but I also like Navy Beans too)
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup molasses
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar (I am out of brown sugar so I substituted with cane sugar)
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (beef tallow works well too)

Instructions: 
Follow the instruction on the package for preparing the dry beans. Drain prepared beans and combine with other ingredients in a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours.

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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Pr. 31:27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

Homemade Chicken Fingers

This is one of my family's favorite recipes and it's so easy, it's one of mine too.

Ingredients:
Chicken ~ I prefer boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into strips or tenderloin
Eggs
Breadcrumbs
Flour
Italian Herbs
Salt
Pepper

I prefer to use glass pie plates but you can use any shallow container that is wide enough for your chicken to lay in. I've even seen suggestions to use gallon zip bags instead of dishes. What ever your preference is, you will need 3 containers.

Container 1: Fill this container with flour and add salt and pepper

Container 2: This container is for beaten eggs

Container 3: Fill this container with breadcrumbs and season with Italian herbs

To prepare the chicken you dredge it through the flour, making sure to fully cover it. Then you dredge the floured chicken through the beaten eggs. Again making sure the chicken is fully covered by the egg. Finally, completely cover the chicken in breadcrumbs.

Once the chicken is prepared you can fry it or bake it. I prefer to fry it in a shallow skillet on low. Frying over low heat takes longer but it ensures that the chicken is cooked through. Once your chicken fingers are a golden brown serve them up hot to your family. I hope they like these as much as my family does.

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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Aspiring to be a Proverbs 31 Woman. "She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar." Proverbs 31:14

Day After Thanksgiving Brunch

There is always that big question going into the day after Thanksgiving.....

???What to do with the leftovers???

Well, here's what we did:

Fruited Turkey Salad on Rye with Pap-Pap's Stuffing Balls, fresh fruit,

celery sticks and Sissy's Homemade Ranch, pumpkin pie,

Layer Deserts: Pumpkin Spice and Raspberry

and my new favorite desert sticks.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed all of your family and friends.

Until next time,

May all your endeavors be a blessing!

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Aspiring to be a Proverbs 31 Woman. "She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar." Proverbs 31:14

Hamburger Macaroni and Cheese

Isn't this an all time favorite for most kids? I remember eating this a lot when I was young. My older son especially likes it with his favorite vegetable, broccoli. Alternatively, you can mix your veggies into the dish.

Ingredients:

- Box macaroni noodles 

- 1 lb ground beef (or more)

- 8 oz of your favorite cheese, grated (we usually use provolone but today I used mozzarella)

- 4 oz cream cheese

- milk

- butter

- salt, pepper, and any of your favorite spices

Directions:

Boil pasta as directed, drain and set aside. 

In a pan, brown ground beef until done. 

Combine beef, noodles, grated cheese, and cream cheese. Add a few pats of butter and a splash of milk. Season to taste. Stir gently until everything is incorporated and the cheese is creamy and covering all the noodles and beef. Depending on the type of cheese, you may need to add more milk.

Chicken Salsa Over Rice

There really couldn't be an easier recipe than this. It's one of my family's favorites and a great "go to" when we are in a rush. It's ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

Rice (we prefer Jasmine rice)

Salsa (whatever is your favorite)

Chicken 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

Cook the rice according to package directions. The types we use are done in about 30 minutes.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook until done. Drain any fat from the chicken and add your favorite salsa. Bring to a simmer until desired temperature. We like ours piping hot.

Serve over rice. 

We enjoyed this dish topped with cheese and served with mixed beans (pintos and black beans), fried polenta, and a salad.

Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since our time in the garden is over for this year I am turning my attention to the kitchen. Tonight we made cookies, chocolate chip made with Arrowhead Mills organic spelt flour and white chocolate chips.

I generally use recipes from my family's cook book but tonight I opted for the one on the back of the flour bag. I followed the recipes, substituting white chocolate chips for regular and organic cane sugar for the Turbinado sugar that is called for. I also baked them for a few minutes longer than called for but that may be due to my oven. 

Overall I think the family liked them. We enjoyed all 28 of them hot from the oven. Here's some proof, four little hands that didn't want to wait until the picture taking was over.

I hope your autumn is a pleasant one and your pantry is well stocked for winter. 

Red Skinned Potatoes

Red Skin Potatoes

Well, we did it. We harvested our first bed of potatoes. It seems that a family of mice or moles has been harvesting them before us, but they did leave us a 5 gallon bucket for ourselves. Not a great harvest but this bed went in late and got hit hard with Potato Bugs. Aren't they beautiful!!!

It's amazing to me that by the end of harvest season my family starts suggesting meal ideas. Ask them any other time of the year and they are no help at all. My first request, in regards to this bucket of potatoes, is for mashed potatoes. Not that I'm complaining but I would have thought of something a bit fancier. When I was cleaning them I was day dreaming about herb roasted, bite size, morsels of goodness...... but it's mashed potatoes tonight. lol :D

Skin On, Chunky, Mashed Potatoes

~ Skin On, Chunky, Mashed Potatoes ~

• Potatoes
• Sour Cream
• Milk
• Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
• Chives, Herbs, Seasoning, etc. (optional)

This recipe has no measurements because it's all about looks and taste and depends entirely on how many potatoes you are using, not to mention what type. 

Wash potatoes and leave on the skins. Quarter and boil for 15 minutes. Drain water. Mash with a potato masher or large fork. Mix while adding in enough sour cream to make a paste. Mix while adding enough milk to soften. Add salt and pepper to taste along with chives, garlic powder, marjoram, or any other seasoning that you like. Mix well. Serve hot. 

Cucumbers & Tomatoes

We are getting to the end of our growing season but there's still a lot going on. I've been busy with an over abundance of cucumbers and zucchini so pickles and zucchini bread have been my life for some time now. I finally got to the end of the cucumber crop and pulled up my vines. I sure will miss them once we eat the last one of the season.

 

Early Russian Cucumber & Grape Tomatoes

While I was pondering what to do with the produce on my counter, my husband walked in, looked at the mounded pile and requested macaroni salad. What a great guy!!! Perfect timing.

Garden Macaroni Salad

~ Garden Macaroni Salad Recipe ~

• Box Macaroni noodles, prepared (Wild Oats Organic)
• 12 or so grape tomatoes, sliced
• 1 pealed cucumber or zucchini, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• Mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons Mustard (Koop's Organic Dijon)
• Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper 

Mix prepared pasta, sliced tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced onion, mayo, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add Italian herbs like basil and oregano but that's optional. Refrigerate. Serve cold. 

I actually prefer it with zucchini but I wanted to save the last few for something else. 

Enjoy!!!

Spring Onions

Last fall I planted all my garden beds with walking onions because I had several thousand top-sets and, put simply, I didn't want any of them going to waste. So now that it's Spring and I have tomatoes to go out there, I have my first batch of spring onions to cook with.

Spring Onions

Egg Salad Croissants, Cantaloupe & Tomato Cucumber Salad

It's what's for lunch!

I love croissants! I absolutely adore fresh fruits and vegetables! Fresh eggs from our neighbor are divine! Put them all together and you have the makings of a magnificent lunch... let's go.

Egg Salad Croissants, Cantaloupe & Tomato Cucumber Salad

Egg Salad - Hard boil your eggs by adding them to the water (enough to cover all the eggs) and then bring the water to a boil. Gently boil for 10 minutes, drain the water off and fill your pot with cold water. Keep the eggs in cold water until cool. Bring them out one at a time and roll them on a paper towel, gently putting pressure on the eggs to crack the shells all the way around. The shells should easily come off. Rinse each newly peeled egg to ensure there is no shell left. Chop your eggs or use an egg slicer and put into a clean bowl. To this add enough mayonnaise to cover all of your egg. Mix in a squirt of mustard, salt and pepper. Spoon out onto toasted croissants.


Tomato Cucumber Salad - This couldn't be easier. Use a vegetable peeler to stripe the peal off of your cucumber. Then slice it thinly. Chop your tomato and mix the two together. Spritz with your favorite oil (I like safflower oil) and sprinkle in some basil.


Yum! I can't wait until we have fresh veggies from our garden. Until then, we will have to be thankful for produce from the grocer.

Homemade Salsa

We use this salsa for everything from dipping blue corn ships to dishes like Chicken and Salsa over Rice. It's simple and can be made up in any sized batch. It's always better to make a big batch so you will have extra on hand. I like to process some in small jelly jars to give as gifts as well.

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped peppers
1/2 cup onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons cilantro
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can tomato juice

Directions:
Start by simmering the tomato juice until it has reduced to a medium thick sauce. Then add in your cut vegetables, vinegar and spices and bring to a quick boil, then turn it down to a simmer for 10 minutes. At this point you can ladle your salsa into clean jars to be stored in the refrigerator or processed.

To process, ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two part lids and process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes for half pints.

Hungry Man Breakfast

I love making big meals... not necessarily meals that take up all my dishes and fill the buffet table, but meals that fill a plate. Here is one of my favorites

Cinnamon Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Directions: Heat a large griddle over medium heat. Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well to mix but do not stir in too much air. I use a 1/4 cup scoop to ladle out pancake batter onto the hot griddle. When bubbles break on the surface the pancakes are ready to flip.

Strawberry Syrup
Heat one bag of frozen strawberries in a pan, add a little water and bring to a boil. Smash the berries with a fork or masher and add 1 cup of raw sugar. Stir constantly and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and serve. You can add a bit of arrowroot or white flour to thicken if needed.

Scrambled Eggs with Peppers and Tomatoes
You will need eggs, peppers, tomatoes, butter, salt, pepper. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter or more on medium heat. Add in sliced peppers and stir. In a bowl or large cup, mix 6 eggs or more and pour them into the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover until set. Stir to scramble the eggs and flip them the best you can to ensure thorough cooking. You may need to do that several times. Add the sliced tomatoes and cover until hot.

Grilled Cheese and Northern Chili

I used to get teased about my "Northern" chili by my Southern relatives, until they tasted it. This chili is very easy and quick to make up. You can serve it over rice and top it with sour cream, cheese, and sliced onions.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
2 cans sweet corn
1 small jar of extra mild salsa or chopped peppers, onions and tomatoes
salt, pepper and cumin

Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a pot until done. Drain the grease and add drained beans, corn and salsa. Heat and stir. Add the salt, pepper and cumin to taste. It usually takes a good deal of cumin since that is what gives it that "chili" taste.

If we are serving the chili as a soup option. I really like to have it with grilled cheese on rye and use as many types of cheese as we have on hand. Yum!