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Monday, May 21

Happy Homemaker Monday

Be sure to visit Sandra for more Happy Homemakers!

The weather::: The week starts off in the low 70s but by Thursday the high is 90!!! Wowzers!

On my reading pile::: Nothing, I need to find something new.

On my TV::: I am using the TV as a radio: I have the christian radio music channel on

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Homemade pizza
Tuesday - Mac n cheese (I skipped this last week)
Wednesday - Veggie Burgers & wilted collards
Thursday - Oriental Chicken salad w/ Naan bread + dipping oil (Its suppose to be 90 degrees, this cold dinner will be perfect)

On my to do list::: Doc. appt (my neck & shoulder are sooo much better, by the way), oil changed in truck, bank, prepare for camping trip, laundry, & many more things I don't want to think about.

My "project" of the week::: Prepare for our BIG Mom's group's garage sale, which is June 2nd.

What I am creating::: This week, mostly Thursday & Friday, I'll be cooking some food to take on our camping trip: Biscuits & gravy, pasta salad, trail mix

Looking around the house::: Sigh, my house was neglected all weekend. We spent so much time outside this weekend, I did the bare minimum inside.

From the camera:::

Highlight of the past weekend::: We had a fun weekend. The weather was gorgeous! I planted my garden, Ken made me a garden box that he is putting around a new tree in our yard. We grilled just about every meal & ate outside on my new patio furniture. I told you it was fantastic!

Looking forward to this week::: Camping w/ my family!!!

Bible verse, Devotional::: "God is never late, he is never early. His timing is perfect. And his plans for you are good"

Friday, May 18

Friday's Freezer Friendly ~ Iced coffee

I love this recipe in the hot summer months. On mornings when I wake and its already 80 degrees I can't drink hot coffee. This gives me my coffee fix but is cold and refreshing too! It's a great recipe to play with. This time I used Starbucks vanilla coffee. YUM. And of course, you can pick a variety of different coffee creamers. I have also used evaporated milk in place of the milk.
This recipes comes from my aunt over at http://inhotpursuitofmoreandless.blogspot.com/. 

Iced Coffee
10-12 c. of double strength coffee
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use fat free)
1/2 c. flavored liquid creamer
optional: 1- 2c. milk (I like mine strong, so I do not add any milk!)

-Brew strong coffee by doubling the amount of coffee grounds you would normally use. *Caution: My coffee maker overflowed, making a terrible mess the first several times I tried this. I now brew 2 batches of 6c. at a time.
-When coffee is finished brewing and still hot transfer to a pitcher and whisk in sweetened condensed milk. Allow to cool.
-Add creamer and milk, if desired.
-Transfer to bottles, leaving head space for expansion during freezing. (I dug through my recycle bin and found Gatorade and Snapple jars. Yes, you can freeze glass if you leave plenty of head space. )
-To use, thaw in the fridge the night before. Shake well. Serve over ice.


Monday, May 14

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: Perfect= High 70s-low 80s

On my reading pile:::  Finishing up the book of Acts

On my TV::: Cartoons :)

On the menu for this week::: I didn't do this on purpose but almost all my meals are tried and true favorites around here :) Should make for an easy week of cooking! I am trying a new recipe: Unstuffed cabbage roll casserole. Recipe is from my friend at Dawn's Daily Life.
Monday - Veggie Burgers
Tuesday - Shredded chicken tacos
Wednesday - Mac n Cheese
Thursday - Unstuffed cabbage roll casserole
Friday - Prosciutto & cheddar paninis
Saturday - Homemade Pizza pockets
Sunday - Sloppy Joes

On my to do list::: Make a meal for a friend that just had a baby, make snacks for Mom's Life meeting tomorrow, grocery store, post office, doctor's appointment....And having a day care child here. OH BOY!

My "project" of the week::: Till, by hand, the area where my tomatoes will go. The tiller won't fit. Good work out!

What I am creating::: Homemade Yogurt I got a great deal on Dean's milk this week=$1.99 for a gallon. Excited to make yogurt w/ it....its been awhile. I need to update this recipe though b/c I do it a little differently now....

Looking around the house::: I'm doing this later than other Mondays. Mae is awake, watching cartoons. Bailey is at the front porch watching the neighbors. I've got my coffee & thinking about how I am going to juggle this crazy day! EEEK!

From the camera:::

Highlight of the past weekend::: It's hard to pick!! Saturday my hubby finally graduated:) A friend watched Mae during the 3+hour ceremony so I was able to enjoy it. Also, Saturday we got a teenager sitter (1st time EVER) & Ken and I went out to a nice dinner to celebrate his graduation and our 6 year wedding anniversary! Sunday, Mother's Day & our anniversary, was just as special. Ken and Mae brought me breakfast in bed. Then church, beautiful weather and a new lawn patio set!

Looking forward to this week::: Mom's Life, last meeting until September :( Also, this coming weekend of not much but staying around home doing yard work. My garden is getting planted :)

Bible verse, Devotional::: Church yesterday was based on John 15~ "The Vine & the Branches"
Great passage!

Friday, May 11

Friday's Freezer Friendly~ Pizza Pockets

I got this idea from Money Saving Mom during her "4 Weeks to Fill your Freezer" series. She happened to post this idea a few days before I was already planning on making homemade pizza for dinner- How perfect?!?! I just made extra dough, chopped more veggies and assembled these before dinner {During NAP time} This whole process from start to placing in freezer took 2 hours!

Homemade Pizza Pockets
Dough:
2 yeast packets
2 c. warm water
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. olive oil + 1 Tbsp.
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 c. whole wheat flour
2-3 c. AP flour
-Dissolve yeast in water. Let stand alone a few minutes until it gets bubbly.
-Meanwhile, add salt, 4 tsp. olive oil and Italian seasoning to Kitchen Aid mixer.
-Add yeast mixture.
-With the hook attachment add whole wheat flour 1 c. at a time, mix until combined.
-Add AP flour in 1/2 c. increments until dough is no longer sticky.
-Knead for 5 minutes.
-Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning once to coat w/ oil.
-Cover w/ a towel and let it sit to rise. {I put mine on my stove while I was cooking sausage and pizza sauce. It doubled in size in about 20minutes}

Filling:
Supreme pockets:
Pizza sauce, homemade or jarred
1lb. pork sausage, cooked
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can black olives, sliced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
8oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Hawaiian pockets:
Pizza sauce
1 c. pineapple, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 c. ham, chopped
cheese

Topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning

To Assemble:
-Pull off dough and roll into a ball in your hands. (About golf ball size)
-On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 6 inch circle.
-Fill w/ sauce first, toppings then cheese.
-Fold over and pinch w/ a fork
-I used different colored tooth picks to distinguish supreme, Hawaiian and I made 3 for Mae {sauce, cheese and black olives}
-Brush w/ extra olive oil and sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.
-Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes
-Allow to cool completely!!!
-Transfer to a Ziploc gallon bag and Freeze!


Hawaiin Pocket

I only got 13. I was hoping for 18!

I made 3 specially for Mae= sauce, cheese & black olives. Then I put hers in a sandwich bags and labeled MM's

Wednesday, May 9

Friday's Freezer Friendly on Wednesday?!?! {Mini Muffins}

Have you been following Money Saving Mom and her series "4 Weeks to Fill your Freezer"? I love her, everyday for 4 weeks she is cooking items that go straight to her freezer. I love the idea but I'm not as ambitious. This week I hope to get 2 days of freezer cooking in. Today, a quick snack for Mae, mini muffins & Friday I plan on making pizza pockets!

This recipe comes from my sister in law, Megan. But I got the idea of freezing mini muffins as a snack last week when we were grocery shopping. A woman was giving out samples of Hostess mini muffins, Cora loved the snack and so I looked at buying a box. Do you know a box of 4pks sold for $3.98! EKKKK! I made mine much cheaper and got 12 portions.

Mini Healthy Blueberry Muffins
1/2 c. butter substitute, softened
1 c. Splenda (I actually use 3/4 c. regular sugar)
1/4 c.honey
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. skim milk
1 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

-Cream butter, sugar and honey together until fluffy.
-Beat eggs in 1 at a time. Add vanilla.
-Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add flour, baking powder and salt
-Alternately, stir in flour mixture and milk.
-Fold in blueberries
-Spoon batter into greased muffin pan, mini or regular. (B/c I used a mini pan I individually buttered each muffin. I did not want to spray Pam b/c I didn't think it would cover the pan well)
-Bake at 350 for 12 minutes (for mini muffins. 25-30 for regular muffins)
-Allow to cool in pan for 5-7 minutes.
-Remove from muffin pan and allow to cool completely.
-I then packaged them in fold over Ziploc bags, 3 per bag b/c I thought that was a nice portion for lil MaeMae.
-Then I put all the baggies into a large gallon Ziploc bag.
-These are going to be great for quick breakfasts or snacks on the go :)



Monday, May 7

And the Coupon Guess Winner Is...


Thanks to all of you that took a guess at my coupon savings. Wow, many of you had HIGH expectations for me! I better get to work this next year to live up to your expectations :)

My grand total of coupon savings from April 2011-April 2012 was $1,571!

That means Aubrey Deyoung is my winner w/ a guess of $1,716. She will be getting a gift card of $10 to her choice of Target, Kroger or Walmart (My 3 favorite places to shop)

Thanks again for all your support- Stay tuned for my next Give Away!!

Happy Homemaker Monday


The weather::: High 60s-Low 70s all week! Rain today...hopefully the only day this week!

On my reading pile::: This is the last week of woman's bible study :(

On my TV::: Actually, the news this morning. I wanted to watch the weather.

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Rigatoni w/ ricotta w/ garlic bread (got skipped last week)
Tuesday - Fish tacos & grilled pineapple
Wednesday - Homemade pizza
Thursday - Tamale pie
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Not sure of weekend meals b/c of all the festivities
Sunday -

On my to do list::: Not much this morning. Later this afternoon I need to run a few errands after my chiropractor apt.

My "project" of the week::: Plan my garden so I can get it planted next weekend.

What I am creating::: Money Saving Mom is doing a series "4 weeks to Fill your Freezer". This week she is cooking lunch items that she will freeze. Follow along w/ her!

Looking around the house::: Dark, its raining again here! The house is clean. I have two 2 year olds here eating breakfast!

Highlight of the past weekend::: The beautiful weather & Ken being home all weekend b/c he is DONE w/ school!

Looking forward to this week::: Ken's graduation on Saturday & our anniversary + Mother's Day on Sunday :) It's going to be a busy, blessed weekend!

Bible verse, Devotional::: From "Jesus Calling" a daily devotional: "Fear no evil, for I can bring good out of every situation you will encounter" (Psalm 23)