Party Recipes

The best banana pudding recipe ever! Easy and has a homemade flavor.

Mix16 oz sour cream, 3 large boxes vanilla instant pudding mix and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. 

Add whole milk to desired consistency. It will be thicker than regular pudding.

Layer vanilla wafers, bananas and pudding. Top with  whipped cream or cool whip.

*Tip- When making individual dessert cups for parties, cool whip works better than  canned whip cream. It will melt, especially if cups sit out for any length of time. 

Strawberry Shortcake (original recipe found here.)

1 yellow sheet cake baked per box directions, cut into small squares
(This was my friend's secret ingredient. The cake is moist and sweet. Makes it delish!)

1 large box vanilla pudding mixed with milk per box directions.

Mix 1 lb fresh slice strawberries with 1 lb frozen strawberries, thawed. 


Layer cake, strawberries, pudding and cool whip until cup is full. Top with fresh strawberry.

 An old stand-by favorite fruit salad recipe. Easy, of course!

1 can peach pie filling
1 lb frozen or fresh strawberries
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
sliced bananas
optional- nuts and coconut
Mix and refrigerate.

I love this recipe because the pie filling keeps bananas from turning brown.  We froze the leftovers. For our grill out yesterday, I let it thaw until slushy. Throw it in the blender, add yogurt or ice cream and it makes a great smoothie!

Another party hit was the sausage cheddar balls. Sometimes it's great to bring out old recipes that maybe people haven't had in a while. I found a secret ingredient to add from Plain Chicken.  Cream cheese! Keeps them moist and tender.

1 lb hot sausage, uncooked
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Bisquick
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix until well combined.  Roll into 1-inch balls.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown.

Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked.  If baking frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time. You can also freeze the leftovers. We ate the rest of these yesterday too. Heat in the microwave and pop them in your mouth!

Enjoy!
Posting to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

A Dinner and A Winner

Via

What's for dinner at my house? 
For a veggie, it's one of my favorite dishes. Sauteed squash. I modified the recipe found on Food.com and made up this:

Sauteed Squash

3 large size fresh squash sliced in 1/2" thickness
1/2 can French's Fried Onions
2 tablespoons light olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat oil in frying pan. Add squash. As squash starts to get soft, add fried onions. Continue to saute with lid on top until desired softness. Salt and pepper. You can add any fresh vegetable such as zucchini, tomatoes and/or my personal favorite, mushrooms.  

We'll add another side of fresh whipped mashed potatoes. For the meat it'll be another one of my concoctions, adapted from Paula Deen's meatloaf recipe, our family's favorite. It's so good, I thought why not take some of the same ingredients and use them for another dish so...

Via

Hamburger Steaks With Gravy

1 pound ground beef

1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping/Gravy-

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix all ingredients well, Form into individual patties. Place in baking pan. 

Mix all ingredients for gravy. Pour over patties.

Bake for 1 hour. 

And no meal is complete without a little sugar. The Doc has requested cream cheese pound cake. He likes it plain but I like to top it with fruit and whipped cream. It's also good topped with any fruit salad recipe.

Via

 From who else but the butter queen Paula Deen. (Click on the link under the photo for recipe.)

 And now for the winner of the E.W. McCall giveaway.

Congratulations to #17, Sally-

 "Love the things in the shop. I've liked EW McCall on Facebook. 

Thanks for the opportunity to win :)"

Thanks to all who entered!  No blogging for me today or the weekend as we'll be spring cleaning outside. I'm about to go plant before the sun gets too hot. It was 86 degrees yesterday! What will the temps be in July?

A Southern Thing

Via

Don't knock it until you've tried it.

This

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This

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Delicious!!

Yes, cornbread and milk are almost as good as...

Via

Chocolate chip cookies are the best but a glass of crumbled cornbread in milk is a close 2nd. A southern thing I suppose. Have you heard of it? A discussion I had with BJ from Sweet Nothings prompted me to write this post. She doesn't like soggy cornbread but guess what she does like? Fritos and milk. 

Do you like any strange food combinations?

Here's a good cornbread recipe. (Click on the link)

Link for recipe

Trick or Treat

Are you going trick or treating tonight or staying home to pass out candy?



This is one of my favorite treats to give friends and neighbors.
2 cups of peanuts and 2 cups of candy corn mixed. So easy!



I have fond memories of trick or treating as a child.  I think we had bags just like those in the above picture.
Remember when-
we were not afraid to go trick or treating just about anywhere?
the scariest costume we had was a white sheet with 2 eye holes?
plastic masks which hurt if the string was too tight?
barely being able to breathe through all that plastic?
sticking out your tongue through the plastic hole? (ouch, sometimes sharp edges)
people giving away unwrapped things like carmel apples or popcorn balls?
the end of safe trick or treating when hearing of a razor blade in an apple?

Source: laurenconrad.com via Beatrice on Pinterest

Our neighborhood is rated in the top 10 safest in our city but of course, we still check all the candy before eating it.
Expecting tons of trick or treaters. I've already spent $30 on candy and am thinking I need to buy more.

Source: belindasgreatideas.blogspot.com via Beatrice on Pinterest

Update-
Good news is our computer savvy friend retrieved all of our photos from our crashed computer! Hopefully we'll never have that scare again.
Mrs. T and I didn't complete decorating her house. Several of her fabrics did not arrive.  Will post pictures when it all comes together.

Source: countryliving.com via Beatrice on Pinterest

When the boys get home from school today we will carve out a jack-o-lantern to light up the porch for our little guests. I always enjoy seeing all the cute costumes.  At the end of the night I will go through my boys' bags and take out all the chocolate. Lucky me! They don't like chocolate.

Happy Halloween!

A Sale and A Salad

Here's a sale alert. Target has a lot of things marked down 50-75% off.  For me, it's like an Easter egg hunt because they always put things at the end of aisles or out of the way places. 
This lamp was marked down to $11.94

Pillows were my favorite finds at $6.24 and $4.98!  Snatched up all they had. 

The blue are kind of nautical/masculine and will go in my son's room.

 The black and cream will go nicely in our great room. 

Love the thickness. You know I'm all over hounds-tooth too!

A funny thing happened when I went to grab them. A lady came around the corner and put her hand on them first.  I graciously walked away and went to another aisle. Came back and there they were.  woo hoo!  I guess she decided not to get them. 
Finders keepers.


Secondly, here's a really good recipe for a broccoli and grape salad. 

1 head of broccoli cut in small pieces
2 cups seedless red grapes- halved
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup celery- chopped
green onions- chopped


Dressing-
1 cup real mayo
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vinegar


Mix together and chill.

You must try it.  It is simply divine!

Keep it going...

When is the last time you baked cookies for no reason?  Recently, my friend Tracey @Raggy Girl Vintage posted about her chocolate chip cookies. 

Tracey's

 Of course, my mouth watered when I saw them.  I couldn't even remember the last time I baked cookies from scratch. Christmas, Valentines? That night I asked the doc if he would like some chocolate chip cookies. He answered, "if you're going to make some, sure." (whew! Figured he'd say "not really.")  So there I was baking cookies in the middle of the week, late in the evening for no reason. 

(Recipe is on back of Toll House semi sweet choc chip package.)

In the midst of some stressful situations, there we sat like two kids with a glass of milk and warm cookies. 
Comforting.

Tracey's

The next day, we shared the cookies with the neighbors, bus driver and school teachers, which surely added a bright spot to their day as well. 

I don't like perfect cookies. I never measure it out with a scooper, just grab a dollop with a spoon and plop it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 
Look at that little chocolate goodness peering from the edge.

I'll be doing some baking tomorrow for a total different reason- my son's birthday party.  I probably won't enjoy the cookies nearly as much as I did these. 

If you need a little pick me up today, don't wait for an occasion. Keep this going and bake some cookies!

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Via

It's the 5th of May!  

I'm thinking we'll have Mexican food.  Not that we need a reason, we love Mexican cuisine! 

Appetizer- the old stand by recipe for Velveeta Cheese Dip. I add a can of cream of mushroom soup to make it a little thicker and creamier.  (Add browned ground beef and you've got a meal.)

Via

Here's an easy crockpot recipe. It's oh tan bunea!

Zesty Picante Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

16 oz jar picante sauce

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Shredded cheese

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.  Add picante sauce.  Spread black beans over top.  Cook on low setting for 6-8 hrs or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.  Top with cheese, cover and heat until melted.  Spoon into pre-heated soft tortilla shells and roll up.  

Via

I do not reinvent the wheel when it comes to Spanish rice.  Both of these brands are easy to make and delicious. 

 

The best refried beans come from a pot of  fresh cooked pintos.  Just mash them up.  But if you don't have time, the ones in the can are just fine.

My family likes chalupas (tostados.)  Spread refried beans on a toasted hard flat tortilla shell.  Top with salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and/or black olives. Delicioso!

Via

For dessert, we need something cool and refreshing after all this spicy and rich food.  How about key lime pie?  Better yet, after all those calories, what about an almost fat free key lime pie? 

This is one of my favorite recipes.  I'm always asked to share it.

 Low Fat Key Lime Pie

6 oz reduced fat graham cracker crust

14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk

8 oz fat free egg substitute

1/2 cup fresh lime juice from Key limes

8 oz fat free whipped topping

Preheat oven to 325.  Combine all ingredients, except for whipped topping, and pour in crust.  Bake about 15 minutes.  Garnish with topping.

Via

 You will not believe how wonderful this pie is!

So go ahead...

Via

Have yourself a little fiesta today!

Posting to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Besos y abrazos,

Banana Bread and Heartstrings

  Can anything pull at your heart more than children?
  
This morning I made sure to stand here.

While taking a walk with my 5 year old last evening, we discussed the route his bus takes every day.  I wait with him every morning on the front porch.  What he didn't know is I stand at the window and watch as his bus circles back by.  It's a melancholy moment for me.  So I said to him, "Do you know mommy watches you ride by on the bus every morning?"  This thrilled him.  He gave me specific instructions to look at the first window on the bus because that's where he sits (as if I didn't know.)  I don't think there will ever be another morning when I'm not standing at the big window with every single shutter open.  I even had breakfast here today.

Normally breakfast is on the go.  But I'm savoring the moments.  You see, I have a 20 year old too.  Yep, you read right. And another child in between who is 12.  The oldest is in college.  She's busy in her own world now, being independent.  The 12 year old still needs me but doesn't want anyone to know it.  He certainly doesn't want me to walk him to the bus although I have waved at him a few times. (I think he liked it but would never admit it.)

There were a few overripe bananas laying around yesterday so I decided to make banana bread.  

This morning I wanted to enjoy it. Nothing fancy, just making the most of the moment.  

EASY BANANA BREAD
Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,144187-255202,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1 1/2 c. self-rising flour 3 bananas, mashed 2 eggs 1/2 stick butter 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. sugar Cream together butter, eggs and sugar until smooth. Add bananas and vanilla; beat well. Mix in flour. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden brown.

Posting to Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World
Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home


Today is an ordinary day but I'm taking time to be thankful for extraordinary blessings.

Joy.

We are posting our favorite Christmas song for Pink Saturday.  I love all of Mariah's Christmas songs but chose this one for its upbeat tempo.  Seems we joyfully celebrate over gifts, decor and parties but tone it down a bit when it comes to Jesus.  He came to earth for one purpose- to give us eternal life.  Now that's real JOY! 

I love to turn on Christmas music while I'm baking. It puts me in the mood. Here's a time saving recipe for peanut butter cookies.
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut  butter
1 egg
Mix in order. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes.
So far I've managed to bake these and traditional choc chip.  We're making a little progress.  More baking to go!

Don't forget the milk.

Santa will thank you!

 And it wouldn't be Pink Saturday without a Pink Christmas...

Better Home and Gardens

I just want the chandy.



Joy to the world!
Posting to:
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Then Sings My Soul Saturdays
Spiritual Sundays