I’ve been asked to do some nice, simple soup recipes. Since the cold weather is getting underway I thought now might be a good time to do it. I love soup, but we don’t eat much of it in the summer since it’s hot. Once I tried making a cold cucumber soup – Barry was NOT a fan. He said, “That’s just wrong. Soup is supposed to be hot.” Since then there have been no more cold soups in my house. I’m bitter. Monday is designated Meatless Monday in our home, so in honor of that I’m starting out with something bean-based.  Beans, beans, good for your heart……well, you can finish it. [Read more…]

***UPDATE: See this post about our new eating habits. (7/10/11) I now use Sucanat in place of the sugar.

Every fall, at the end of the apple season, I buy at least a bushel of apples…..usually more. I eat and bake with a lot of apples. Usually my downstairs refrigerator (yes, I have two) is full of apples during the winter. I knew I wanted to make some apple butter for Christmas gifts, so I was saving some of my bounty for that. Then, someone asked me if I had a good recipe for apple butter, so I decided to do a tutorial and show you how easy it is to make your own. I’m not usually a big fan of apple butter – I think the spices are too strong. So, when I make my own I can adjust that flavor. This is more like spicy apple sauce for us, and the taste is just right. You can adjust the spices to your liking. It’s like Burger King, your way, right away. Oh, and this recipe is for a crock pot! So, you fix it and forget it…..I like giving you all easy recipes. It makes your life just a tad easier. Let’s do it! [Read more…]

First, we need some snow. Don’t eat yellow snow. We want white snow…….and try to avoid the dirty patches. I thought I would get snow off the back deck, but it melted. Sure, it only got up to 24 degrees, but snow can still melt if it’s freezing outside – funny how that happens. So, realize that it’s only currently 11 degrees outside and wuss out. Tell your husband to go out and get it for you…..and give him the sad, pathetic look and tell him you don’t have any shoes on. If he wants to eat some of your delicious snow cream, he’ll probably go. If your kids are older, you can send them outside…..if you trust them to get clean, non-yellow snow. [Read more…]

I repeat myself a lot…….so you probably already know that Mondays are Meatless at our house. Meatless Monday. I LOVE alliteration. We used to also have Fishy Friday, but my tastes have changed since having Annie. I used to love just about any fish, but now just about any fish makes me want to puke. Especially shrimp. I loved shrimp before I was pregnant. Now, I think they should just stay in the ocean. I can still handle tuna and those frozen fish patties……and fish sticks. But anyone can eat fish sticks because that’s why they make ketchup. Ketchup covers a multitude of sins. I love veggie burgers. If we visit a restaurant that has Gardenburgers on the menu, you can bet that’s what I’m going to order every time. Red Robin’s Gardenburger makes me want to sing! YUMMO! So, I thought I’d show you guys how to make homemade veggie burgers. The base for this burger is black beans. There are tons of different ways to make them, so you might see other various recipes down the road. [Read more…]

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

I made these several years ago, so I decided to do a tutorial on them. They’d be really easy to make with your kids……if you don’t mind sticky, buttery hands……or sticky, buttery hands for your kids either. I got the idea out of magazine. I’m not sure which magazine it was, but I’ve seen it several times since in several other ones. I wish I could tell you I’m the genius that came up with them, but I’m really just good at following directions. Barry would say differently, but who’s asking him?

To make these, we need marshmallows, Fruity Pebbles, and butter. That’s all! I love simple things, but you’ve heard me say that a million times. See the frosting? Initially I thought I would decorate them using icing……but then I changed my mind. I hate canned icing, so I couldn’t bring myself to use it. I’m still not even sure why I bought this tub. Someone will eat it! I’ll take it to some potluck event and make another poor soul eat it. I didn’t want to mar the beauty of these “treats” by using it. I was going to include these during candy week, but was informed that they are not candy – they are treats. Details, details. [Read more…]

I’m just gonna lay it out there…….I like powdered cocoa packets you buy at the store. They’re delicious. I like hot cocoa from restaurants too – I know it’s not homemade. That’s okay! It tastes good, so that’s what matters. However, I don’t always have the packets sitting around at home. AND at Christmas when it’s really cold, it’s nice to make a little treat. AND think about how impressed people will be when they know you made the cocoa from scratch. AND it really does taste better. The packets are just convenient. At night when I put Annie to bed, sometimes I don’t have the energy to move my little pinky finger, much less energy to make hot cocoa. This recipe is fast though, so you can make it even if you’re in a state of delirium. [Read more…]

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

I was in Sam’s yesterday and I saw a bag of this. It’s called Chex Muddy Buddy. Now, we’ve always called it Puppy Chow. Why? Well, because it looks like dog food. But let me tell ya, it does NOT taste like dog food. It tastes like manna from heaven. This is one of those foods that I try not to make, because I end up eating so much that I wish I could get my stomach pumped. You don’t need to run to Sam’s to buy it. You can make your own and it is SO easy. You don’t even have to turn on the oven. I had you at “easy” didn’t I? But, I am warning you. Make this at your own risk. If you cannot say no to the chocolate/peanut butter combination, then you need to stop reading this right now and go look on eBay. Thank you.

I always keep Chex in the house. Now, it’s not always name brand……but who cares. I buy what’s cheap. It’s a disease. Anyway, you need Chex, semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Can you tell we’re about to have some fun here? Even if all you did was throw it all in a bowl and eat it with a spoon, it would be delicious. If that’s what you need or want to do, then I am not here to judge you. [Read more…]