Stacy, Author at Humorous Homemaking

Ode to Thanksgiving – Pumpkin Pie Dip

*UPDATE – See this post about our new eating habits.(7/10/11)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday; Barry’s too. It’s a nice, relaxed day when you just sit back, eat until you think you might have to go to the emergency room, and watch football. I’m not really a football watcher, but I do look forward to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. So, in honor of my favorite holiday, we’ll dedicate this week to Thanksgiving. I’ll cover an appetizer (today), a side dish, a bread, a dessert, a centerpiece, and place cards. What fun! Have some fun with me….and you might want to look into renting a dolly.

I knew this recipe was a winner when my brother-in-law enjoyed it. Let me just take a minute and tell you about Brian – usually when I cook something and I ask him if he wants some he says, “maybe later.” That’s code for, “not ever gonna happen.”When I made this the first time he was eating and eating it…….and he LOVED it! We’re talking about a man who won’t eat anything unless it also includes ketchup and/or cheese. We were all chowing down on it before the main meal. When the meal came, I was full of dip. Oops. To make this, you’ll need pumpkin puree (go here to read how to make your own), powdered sugar, cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, ginger, and cookies. You can tell it’s for Thanksgiving just by the ingredients!

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Baked Oatmeal

***We’ve adapted this recipe to fit our Whole Foods lifestyle by using sucanat, rolled oats, and coconut oil.***Without a doubt, this is the favorite breakfast in the Myers household. I think I could eat it every day and be perfectly happy. In a perfect world, Baked Oatmeal is on the menu. I’m pretty sure God serves it up in heaven….He’s pretty awesome like that. Do you like oatmeal cookies? Oatmeal Crème Pies? Then you’re in luck, my friend! Today I realized how much oatmeal this house goes through……baked oatmeal, homemade granola, granola bars. We take our fiber pretty seriously. So, I’m going to show you my base recipe today and you can build from that. There are about a million variations you can make with this. If you like variety with your fiber, then you are going to be pretty happy. World peace! [Read more…]

Jelly Biscuits

I love cooking breakfast…..I love EATING breakfast. If you don’t eat breakfast, you’re really missing out. Really. I’m not a liar. Now, I love sweets for breakfast. I am tickled pink with a bagel and banana. Barry, on the other hand, likes a hearty breakfast. If I want a hearty breakfast, I cook it for dinner. Biscuits are usually on the menu – homemade or canned. We like them both…..do you know what makes a biscuit even better? Cinnamon Sugar. Doesn’t cinnamon sugar make everything better? Preach it! Anyway, I came to a happy medium with this recipe – I had my sweets and I served it with eggs so Barry would be happy. I’m a peace keeper. This recipe is so easy you’ll start making it all the time. Whew! [Read more…]

Yoplait Smoothies

When I first started my blog, I became a member of My Blog Spark. This is a program for bloggers that allows them to take surveys to see if they qualify to test certain products. I was invited to join when I was asking companies for coupons to give out to you guys.

I finally qualified to do a test! I was so excited! Annie and I danced around the kitchen. She had no idea why, but she sure did enjoy it. Yoplait wanted me to try out their new frozen smoothies. They sent me two coupons for free smoothies and Kitchen Aid sent me a NEW BLENDER to try them out on!!!!!!!!! Thank you My Blog Spark! Y’all have read previous posts and know how I feel about my blender. Yuck. Let me just tell you that my new blender kicks butt! I love Kitchen Aid! Now I love Yoplait smoothies too! So, let’s make a smoothie and test this new puppy out, shall we? [Read more…]

How to Make a Smoothie

Did you know there are actually restaurants that only sell smoothies? I still haven’t figured that one out. I’ve never been to one, as I’ve heard they’re pretty expensive. To me, it would sorta be like drinking my money, all blended up. Do you know where that money has been? Eww! Also, I think those smoothies are supposed to sometimes stand in as your meal. What is THAT about? Only a smoothie to eat? Man, I need something else with my drink, like cereal, toast, or waffles. Man cannot live on smoothie alone. I make great smoothies at home, using whatever we have on hand. You can do it too, because it’s SO easy! I’ll go step by step, giving you ideas so you can create your own custom smoothie, and for heaven’s sake please eat a biscuit with it.

For this demonstration, I made Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothies. Those are two ingredients that are just meant to be together. Soul mates! These are the ingredients that I used if you want to make one just like me (awwww, flattery!): two bananas, two tablespoons of peanut butter, ¼ cup dry milk, two tablespoons wheat germ, one cup of yogurt, and a handful of ice cubes. This made enough for two smoothies, so if you only want one you’d cut it in half – genius, right? [Read more…]

How to Cut Butternut Squash

Ya know, I’m not very fond of winter. I hate being cold. I go into “shut down mode,” which leaves me balled up on the couch, surrounded by blankets, while I shiver and cry because I hate being cold. Thankfully this year Annie is on the move, so I should stay warm from running all over the house after her……right? Anyway, I know that when it starts turning cold that butternut squash are going to be ready, and that almost makes up for it. I love butternut squash! Annie loves it too! Last year my dad planted several and we enjoyed feeding them to Annie. I enjoyed eating them myself. I like to think that this year he planted more for me, but I’m not stupid. I know it’s all about Annie now. I’m chopped liver. Who cares? As long as he grows them and I get to eat them, I’m happy. Have you ever cooked one? Does it look intimidating? I used to think so, but now I cut them up with ease. It really doesn’t take a lot of time or effort…..and the payoff is amazing! So, let me show you how to cut one so you can enjoy them this season. If your dad didn’t grow any for your 16 month old, then you can pick them up at your local produce market – and they’re cheap! [Read more…]

Where’s the Beef??

So, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. All the beef recipes that I posted? Yeah, well……they weren’t made with beef in our house. Okay, there! Whew! I feel so much better. Confession is good for the soul. Barry is a deer hunter, so I always have a good stock of venison in my freezer. Yum! I grew up eating it, even though my daddy is a cattle farmer, so it’s what I am accustomed to. I use ground beef if I know someone who is coming to dinner would throw their meal up if they found out what it was. Or, if the president of PETA was coming to dinner I’d probably use beef. Oh wait….that’s not right either. Tofu? [Read more…]

Easy Ground Beef #5 – Beef and Potatoes

This is a good ole recipe. One for those people (aka – men) in your life that only eat meat and potatoes. Hi Daddy! It calls for a topping of brown gravy. Barry always sings “Gravy Love! My Gravy Love! I need ya, oh how I need ya love!” That’s how we feel about gravy in this house. You can put brown gravy on anything and instantly make it a delicious dish. Heck, I like eating it straight out of the pan with a spoon. I am not ashamed. Don’t point fingers because I know you do it too. So, let’s make this last ground beef recipe for the week and please all our men folk. [Read more…]

Easy Ground Beef #4 – Mini Meatloaves

I love a good meatloaf. Notice I said, GOOD meatloaf. Honey, I’ve been to some potluck suppers where meatloaf was served and it could have been a hockey puck…..a door stop……a fruitcake. My Mama makes the BEST meatloaf. It’s also so nice and dense, yet perfectly moist.I like trying different recipes, so I don’t think I’ve ever tried the same meatloaf recipe twice…..but I have made them this way several times – in muffin cups. They make a nice little serving size so there is no cutting required. Nice!For some reason, some kids are scared of meatloaf. I have no clue why. I guess any food described as “loaf” could be scary. But, I think if you make them this way and each child has their own little loaf, then it might not be so bad……especially since there is salsa and cheese involved. Or ketchup. Even if they don’t like it, you can disguise it with ketchup. Ketchup – disguising meatloaf since 1924. [Read more…]

Easy Ground Beef #3 – Hamburger Stroganoff

You can do so much with ground beef. My mind is just full of all the possibilities! This original recipe called for strips of beef, but I decided to change it up a bit and use ground beef instead. The result was amazing. Even Annie liked it! She isn’t much for ground beef, so that made it especially exciting to me. Isn’t it funny how your life changes when you have a child? When your kids eat, you feel like you need to dance the polka in the kitchen. This recipe is so easy and it tastes divine. Let’s dance the polka, shall we? [Read more…]