My Son~My "Hero!"

Just look at what my precious boy found for his Mama! When he called and told me he found it I did the "happy" dance around the room:)

I wish y'all could smell the aroma in my kitchen now ~ pumpkin crunch cake hot out of the oven. It's now officially Autumn at our home place! All is right with the world!!

A "Hot" Tip

A Hot Potato tip that is!

One magical thing about life is that you are never too old to learn new things. Take the potato for instance. For all my married life I had been baking potatoes the same way ~ just like my Mother did. Wash them, wrap them in aluminum foil, and bake at a high temp. They turned out just "okay," but were always on the dry side. So, here comes the magic! I was watching a promo for Paula Deen one day and it said to stay tuned because she was going to show us how to make the perfect baked potato. Well, my ears perked up, and with pen and paper in hand I proceeded to watch her change the way I'll feel about baked potatoes forever!!!

So easy, peasy. All you do is:

Gather ingredients which are the potatoes (duh;) olive oil, and sea salt.

Scrub the potatoes and then rub them in the olive oil.

Sprinkle sea salt all over the potato ( not table salt)

Finally, poke one hole in the center of the potato.Place in a baking dish in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour and voilla, you have a perfect baked potato!

Thanks for bringing a little magic into my day, Paula!!!!

Please excuse the quality of the pictures~ it's not easy taking a picture with one hand while you have olive oil on the other:)

Quick & Easy Supper That's Delish~
BBQ Chicken Pizza


If you're looking for a meal that's easy and yummy this is a great recipe to try. This is a family favorite around our home and I'm sure if you try it your family will love it, too!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza crust
BBQ sauce ( I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
Shredded cooked chicken
Mozzarella cheese

I have a bread machine so I just make my pizza dough in that. The grocery store also carries already made pizza crust and that would be fine, too. First step is to cook chicken and let it cool. Once it's cooled you are going to shred it. Then place your favorite BBQ sauce in a thin layer on top of the pizza crust. Next add shredded chicken, and finally top with mozzarella cheese. Bake about 12-15 minutes.We also like to put a little BBQ sauce on our plates to "dip" the pizza in for a little extra "zing!":) Add a green salad and you are good to go!

Green Bean Casserole #2


Since we are now about to enter one of the busiest times of the year I thought I would share with you a yummy casserole that is easy on the pocketbook and great on the taste buds!! I have been making this since I was a newlywed and the funny thing is I don't even know the official name of the dish, hence I'll call it, Green Bean Casserole #2! Works for me:) Anyway, one of my favorite things about this casserole is that it calls for simple ingredients almost everybody has in their pantry. It's also quick and easy to make and last, but not least, it's a good "stick to your ribs" kind of meal;o) Since it already has veggies in it all you have to do is make a salad and add some rolls
.
Green Bean Casserole #2

1 lb. ground beef
finely chopped onion
minced garlic
1 can tomato soup (NOT SAUCE)
1can green beans (or you could use frozen)
instant mashed potatoes

Brown ground beef together with chopped onion (whatever amt. your family likes)I probably use about 1/4 cup.You can also either use garlic from the clove that you have chopped or sprinkle in a little garlic powder (again, what your family likes) After meat is nicely browned, drain the grease and then add 1 can green beans and 1 can tomato soup. Mix up well and then pour into a casserole dish you have sprayed with Pam or whatever you like to use. Follow the directions on the box for the amount of potatoes your family will eat. Mix up the potatoes and once they are made place them on top of the meat mixture. Since it's just me, Mr. P and Miss Bonnie I made the 4 serving amount tonight. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until bubbly. Great for leftovers, too!

If you haven't entered the giveaway just scroll down a few posts and you will find it. Winner will be announced this Monday!

Chili On A Chilly Day!

With temperatures dropping almost 30 degrees this afternoon and the sound of sleet tapping on our window panes, I thought it would be the perfect time to cook up a batch of chili. I love how the aroma permeates throughout the house and it's even all the more better when it's the first of the Fall season. The perfect accompaniment to the chili was a pan of golden cornbread. Comfort food at it's best!

A Perfect Summer Salad

Don't you just love the saying that "appeal is half the meal?" In other words, you take in the beauty of the food with your eyes before you take in the flavors with your tongue! This salad definitely fits into that category. It's the perfect summer salad because it's light and refreshing and it is chock full of yummy things. Let's see, there's lettuce, of course, then mandarin oranges, feta cheese, dried cranberries, caramelized almonds, and a delicious poppy seed dressing to top it off! Just another reason I love this time of year :o)

A Few Family Favorites

I have been so blessed to have been married to my wonderful Mr. P for over 25 years! Throughout those years I have cooked a LOT of meals. If y'all are like me you are always looking for something new to feed your family so I thought I'd share two of our favorite recipes. They are tried and true (I've been making them since we got married) and I have made them so often that I don't even have to look at the recipe anymore. I bet y'all have some like that, too!! They are both so easy to make and they both contain ingredients most everybody has on hand. I love that!!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

1 package tortillas (10 count)

1 can refried beans

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 large container sour cream

1/2 drained chopped green chillies

1 package shredded cheddar cheese

To assemble the enchiladas you take 1 tortilla and spread the refried beans on half of the tortilla and then sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the re fried beans. (if you like a lot of cheese, put on a lot, if you don't, just put on a little:o) It's all up to you! Carefully roll it up and start on the next one. When you have them all done you lay them aside. Now it is time to make the yummy sauce. Mix together the 2 cans of chicken soup, large container of sour cream, and about 1/2 can of the chopped green chillies and place on medium heat. Mr. P isn't into hot and spicy so I am careful not to put too many chillies in, it's all according to what your family prefers. Stir the sauce mixture until well blended and heated up thoroughly. Once that is done you will pour just a tiny bit of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 greased casserole dish. (just enough to cover bottom) Take the tortillas you assembled and place them in the pan on top of the little bit of sauce. Pour remaining sauce all over the enchiladas and make sure and get it into the "nooks and crannies, too! Sprinkle remaining package of cheese on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 2-25 min. or until bubbly.

* This can easily be substituted with low fat or no/fat ingredients.

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole (the first thing I ever cooked for Mr. P;o)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken strips)

1 box Uncle Ben's ORIGINAL RECIPE wild rice ( it has to be original recipe)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

melted butter

Parmesan cheese

Take the contents of Uncle Ben's and mix together well with the two soups. Spray a casserole dish and put the mixture into the dish. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture and then drizzle a little melted butter on top. Sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan cheese on top of the buttered mixture and place in a 350 degree oven for about 40 min. Fast, easy, and yummy, too! I love to serve this with broccoli as you can see!

**Once again, low fat/no fat substitutions may be used.

Let me know if you try it!!

Mission Accomplished!

Y'all remember this project I was working on? Well, I'm happy to report that it is finished!I was determined that I was going to complete this project in a timely manner so I have been busy sifting through my recipe boxes, cookbooks and slips of paper (lol) to pick out the recipes that I use on a consistent basis. That is exactly why I entitled the book Family Favorites, because I wanted it to be the recipes I used regularly. I have decided that after doing this I need to make a smaller binder that I will entitle Holiday Favorites. It will contain special holiday meal recipes, Christmas cookies, etc.. I hope to have that completed before Thanksgiving.

Cover

Sample page (notice I typed in very large print so these very old eyes could see!)

Dividers. I had only five categories: breads, desserts, main dishes, side dishes, and misc. I wanted to keep it real simple!

I have a different project "up my sleeve" that I will hopefully share with y'all next week;o)

Happy Saturday!
I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend ahead of them. When I got up this morning I decided that it was a "french toast" kind of day! What's better than a piece of french toast? Why, two of course;o) YUM!


I was the very lucky recipient of a contest put on by Revee over at Country Roads. I wanted to share with you the wonderful goodies that she sent me. She sent me these beautiful handmade tea napkins and to go along with them some most delicious teas! Miss Bonnie and I are already planning a tea party. Also included were some lovely note cards and the most heavenly scented soap. Thank you so much for blessing me, Revee!

I also was delighted to receive this adorable Fall bookmark from Kelli at There's No Place Like Home. On the back she had handwritten a lovely verse about Fall. She also included two wonderful teas ~ one was called Thanksgiving!! I don't think I can wait that long to sample it, though! LOL I just wanted to let everybody know that Kelli and her husband Phillip have started the most wonderful magazine called Seasonal Delights. It has the most beautiful pictures and all of her recipes and crafts have step by step instructions so they are so easy to follow~ I'm already looking forward to the Winter addition!

I wanted to share with you this book that I absolutely love. If you look closely you will see that it is "well loved!" I have had it for many years but it is a book that I like to revisit over and over again. The author has such a love for home and family and has so many wonderful ideas. It is well worth checking out at your local library.

Some of you have asked about the recipe for the spice tea that I posted about yesterday. It has been a family favorite for many years. My Grammy was known as the "tea lady" at her church! For many years she would provide refreshments to her Sunday School class and this tea was always a favorite. Everytime I drink it I think of my Grammy! It has many different names but the two most popular ones are Friendship Tea and Russian Tea. I will call it Friendship Tea since I'm sharing the recipe with all my blogging friends!

Friendship Tea
1/2 cup instant tea
1 cup sweetened lemonade powder
1 cup orange-flavored drink mix (e.g. Tang)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine instant tea, lemonade powder, orange drink mix, cinnamon and clove. Mix well and store in an airtight container.
To serve, Put 2 to 3 teaspoons of mix in a mug. Stir in 1 cup of boiling water. Adjust to taste.

I want to thank all of you who have asked about how Miss Bonnie is doing. Y'all are truly the best! I am happy to say that she is doing better and as a matter of fact, she was so touched by your outpouring of love and concern that she will be doing a guest post to all of you dear friends on Monday!

Poor Mr. P's back is out so I will be spending this weekend tending to him. When his back goes out like this the most comfortable place for him is on the floor:o( I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend with family and friends!

Much love,

Susan P.

How's that for a "hodge podge" post? LOL

It's Here!
What am I talking about? Fall has finally arrived! Like most of you we have been experiencing summer like conditions throughout the month of October. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to wake up this morning to very cool temperatures, leaves falling, and a nice, steady drizzle (which we so desperately need). I was so excited to finally wear a long sleeve shirt and even a jacket. Believe it or not, most days I had still been sporting my sandals!


Every year when the first sign of Fall arrives I make a quick grocery run to buy all the ingredients for spiced tea. I threw my jacket on this morning and off I went. I couldn't wait to get home and light a candle and savor that first cup of the season. The recipe makes so much I even decided to make up some little jars to give to friends! What is your favorite beverage when the cold winds start blowing?

When I went to make my tea I automatically reached for this mug. That got me to thinking that I hadn't used this particular mug since last winter when I had my spiced tea to drink. I then starting thinking that I also have a particular mug I love to drink hot cocoa out of and I have a favorite tea cup for hot tea. Isn't that funny ~ I guess I am a real "creature" of habit! Do y'all do the same thing?

A Lovely Afternoon

What do you do when you are blessed with a beautiful day with cool breezes, nice temperatures, and low humidity? Why you bake a delicious blueberry cake (recipe courtesy of the wonderful Mrs. U )and then find the nearest comfy rocker on the back porch and revisit some "old, but dear" friends in Mitford!





Recipe can be found here.

Yummy Ice Cream Cake
Miss Bonnie's Birthday!
It's hard for me to believe, but my baby girl is now twenty one years old!! Where, oh where does the time go??!! Since Miss Bonnie was born in the middle of July conditions are usually not the best for heating up the kitchen to bake a birthday cake. Every year we try some new, creative, yummy treat to celebrate her special day with and this year we came up with what is going down as our all time favorite!! If you love the Baskin Robbin's ice cream cakes then listen up, you will LOVE this recipe!! It is soooo easy and is absolutely scrumptious and oh, so refreshing, on a hot summer day! All you need is ice cream sandwiches, hot fudge sauce in the jar, cool whip, and a candy bar or two of your choice. Do I have y'all's attention yet? Lol Just put a layer of the ice cream sandwiches on the bottom of a pan, cover with half jar of the fudge sauce, half container of large container of frozen cool whip and then repeat the process. Top with shaved candy bar and freeze several hours. If you decide you would like to make this then go here to find the complete recipe and I recommend reading the reviews because they had some very good ideas for different toppings, flavors, etc... Enjoy!

For those of you who are wondering, I enjoyed EVERY BITE of this cake ~ forget the yogurt;o)


Beautiful birthday roses from Miss Bonnie's special friend!

Oh, My Goodness

Holy Cow Cake!!

Miss Bonnie was busy in the kitchen all afternoon making this sinfully delicious cake. Her special friend is coming over and she wanted to surprise him with a wonderful end of the week dessert.You know what they say about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach! To give you a better picture of this delicacy let me just list some of the ingredients for you : bottom layer is a devil's food cake then add on top of that delectable layers of caramel sauce, eagle brand milk, cream cheese, cool whip, and to top it all off . . . . . . crushed up

BUTTERFINGERS!!!

Be still my heart:o) This thing is literally "oozing" calories, y'all, but, my, oh, my is it good!

Let's just take a moment, shall we? ;O)

BTW, I was a good girl and ate PEACH YOGURT instead. . . . . bah humbug!

Holy Cow Cake

Cake: Vegetable oil spray for the pan

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/2-cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs
Topping: 1 jar (8 ounces) caramel topping

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

4 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), crushed

1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven
Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35.38 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack.

Immediately poke holes in the top of the cake with a drinking straw or chopstick.

Prepare the topping.
Place the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon this mixture over the warm cake so that it can seep down into the holes. Measure out half of the crushed candy bars and sprinkle the pieces over the cake. Place the whipped topping and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and blend with and electric mixer on low speed until smooth and combined, 1 minute. Spread the mixture over the top of the candy. Sprinkle the remaining candy pieces on top. Place the pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator to chill the cake for about 20 minutes before cutting. Store covered in waxed paper in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Pineapple Dream Cake

I celebrated my 49th birthday on Sunday and I wanted to share with you the cake that my dear Mr. P makes for me every year. It is divine, scrumptious, luscious, heavenly, . . . . . . My Mom got the recipe from a church function when I was a child. It was love at "first bite" and it is my absolute favorite cake in the whole wide world. I have had it every birthday since the age of thirteen and Mr. P has made it for me for the 24 birthdays that we've been together. The man can build a porch and MAKE A CAKE!! Now, that's talent;o) Don't y'all worry, when February rolls around I'll make him his favorite carrot cake!!

Pineapple Dream Cake

2 envelopes plain gelatin

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup pineapple juice (from can)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons lemon juice

3 pkg.(in box) Dream Whip (NOT COOL WHIP)

1 Angel food cake

Dissolve gelatin in 4 tablespoons cold water. Add 1 cup boiling water, pineapple juice, pineapple, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Place in refrigerator. When partly congealed beat 2 pkgs. Dream Whip with amt. of milk called for on package. Beat until stiff. Fold into gelatin mixture.

Scrape the brown off the outside of the angel food cake and break into bite size pieces. Line loaf pan with wax paper and then put in layer of cake, layer of gelatin mixture, layer of cake, layer of gelatin mixture. Chill in refrigerator. Beat remaining Dream whip and then spread on top to cake! YUMMY!

Strawberry "Poke" Cake

Our Favorite Summertime Dessert!

When Memorial Day weekend rolls around my family knows it's time for me to make our favorite summertime dessert. Not only is it light, which is perfect for summer, it is also, "oh, so tasty!" It is as "easy as pie, or I guess I should say, easy as cake" to make! LOL

1 box white cake mix

1 small box strawberry jello

1 small container cool whip

fresh strawberries

Mix cake according to instructions on box. Bake in a greased (I use Pam) 9x13 pan. When done allow to cool completely.

While waiting for the cake to cool you need to boil 1 1/2 cups water and add to strawberry jello that you have in a separate bowl. Stir the jello and water together thoroughly, about 2 minutes. Now comes the fun part. Take the end of a wooden spoon or something similar and begin "poking" holes all around the cooled cake. You can work out any frustrations my might have;o)

Once the cake has been "poked" it is time to pour the jello mixture over it.

Let cake cool completely again and then spread cool whip over cake. Place strawberries on top and if you have blueberries on hand you could use them to make the stars and the strawberries for the stripes for a flag cake!!! Perfect for Memorial Day. Chill cake for several hours or even overnight before serving. I hope you enjoy this easy, yet tasty summertime dessert!

Some Lovin' From The Oven!
Some days you just need a little special "something." I decided that today was one of those days. I had heard on other blogs how wonderful Anna's gingerbread was so I decided that it would be the perfect treat for us tonight. I can't even describe to you how wonderful the house smelled while it was baking! There is just something so comforting, cozy, and "homey" about a special

treat baking in the oven for your family:o)

What's even better than the delicious aroma?

Why, the delicious taste, of course! When you are having "one of those days," why don't you make some gingerbread? You will be so glad you did!

A Little Taste Of Sunshine!

While visiting with my family, my sister Betsy made the most delicious cake for us to enjoy. If you have ever had Lemon Jello Cake this is very similar, only you use oranges, instead! So, so yummy! I also wanted to share with you the cookbook she got the recipe from. Both my sister and I own this cookbook and love it. It is called the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. Every recipe in the book starts with a basic cake mix~ I highly recommend it!

Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook by : Anne Byrn

I love how the cake looks on my sister's antique milk glass cake stand!

Orange Cake

1 package yellow cake mix with pudding

1 cup fresh orange juice (about 5 med. oranges) or from carton

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 large eggs

Mix together for about three minutes with electric mixer. Pour mixture into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake cake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Let cake cool.

Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (about 1 med. orange)

1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest (from about l med. orange)

Combine the c. sugar, fresh orange juice, and orange zest in a small bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Place the cake on a serving platter and pour the glaze over the top, letting it drizzle down the sides and into the center. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing.

Thanks Bets!! ;)

This and That!



I forgot to show you the picture of the sweet Easter banner I purchased from Lesley at Small Meadow Press. I just love the beautiful simplicity of her designs. You probably will have to enlarge the picture to see.


All I can say is, YUM! Cherry Cream Cheese Pie is the first dessert I learned to make as a young girl. It is so easy to do and tastes absolutely delicious~ it has always been a family favorite around here!

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

1 graham cracker crust

1 can cherry pie filling

1 block cream cheese

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream together softened cream cheese, eagle brand milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate. When pie is "set" pour cherry pie filling on top~ that's it!

Finally, here is the newest addition to our back porch! When we purchased it I had visions of me lounging around with a book in one hand and lemonade in the other. I plan on doing a little of that this weekend, if Bailey decides to share;) Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Much love,

Susan P.

A "Midnight Snack" At Nine!


The older Mr. P and I get the earlier we go to bed;) Consequently, our "midnight snack attacks" happen earlier than most! Tonight we had a "craving" for a little sweet treat and I didn't have anything that was readily available. What's a girl to do? I went into my kitchen and brought out these four "staple" items (peanut butter, egg, vanilla, sugar) to make a delicious "midnight snack" for us! So, so simple to make but unbelievably yummy. The best way to eat them? Warm out of the oven with a glass of cold milk!

Magical Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all four ingredients together and then roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Put cookie balls on greased cookie sheet and then take a fork and push down to make "criss- cross" design on each cookie. Bake for about 12 minutes. When you bring them out of the oven sprinkle just a dusting of sugar on top of each. Let sit for a few minutes and then get ready for a most delicious treat!

*I need to add that I know that recently there has been a massive recall on some peanut butters. I believe the brands were Skippy and the WalMart brand. Make sure to check that you aren't using one of the recalled brands. Okay, it's off to bed I go!!!
Edited to Add: Thanks to Susan and Deb, they told me the recalled brand was Peter Pan, not Skippy. Thanks ladies!! I hadn't paid much attention to the recall because I'm a Jiff girl;)

Another Family Favorite
Swiss Chicken Bake



Mr. P. and I enjoyed this for our supper the other night. It is oh, so tasty, and so very easy to fix!


Swiss Chicken Bake

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 white cooking wine
1-2 cups stove top stuffing
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breasts in a greased casserole dish. *I usually pound my down first. On top of the chicken place the slices of Swiss cheese. Mix the chicken soup with the white wine. Pour over top of the cheese. On top of the soup mixture place the dry stuffing mix. I usually use about 1 1/2 cups. If you have a big family just add more but make sure that you increase the butter so it won't be dry. Pour melted butter on top of stuffing. I usually "mush" down with a spoon so the stuffing can absorb some of the soup mixture. Bake for 50 minutes. Let sit five minutes before serving. It's a keeper!!

**Sometimes instead of the chicken breasts I will use chicken strips (like you use for stir fry) If you do this just reduce cooking time a little.