Crochet Headbands...

Sweet.Bee.Bowtique crochet headbands have been reduced for a limitied time only. YEP...how about this...$1.00!! Get yours today, while they last!!

New Bows...

You must visit my Sweet.Bee.Bowtique blog and check out all the new bows that I have added along with the awesome back to school special. There is something for everyone :)

Yesterday brought lots of Purse Notebooks...Look How Cute!!!

Ok....so yesterday was my birthday and I decided I was going to spend a very good portion of my day working on fun stuff...not laundry, cleaning, or more cleaning. So, I finally got to a project that I have wanted to do for quite sometime...Purse Notebooks.

My Mess...I miss my old crafty table...now it is the kitchen counter.

Shaelee's Notebook

McKenli's Notebook

Emilee's Notebook

McKenzi's Notebook

Jordan's Notebook

Savannah's Notebook

Maple Mustard Chicken

Another Taste of Home Recipe

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup stone-ground mustard

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
Hot cooked brown rice

Directions

Place chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the syrup, mustard and tapioca; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

Dinner Menu Week of August 16th

I got a new kitchen gadget so this week it is all about using my slow cookers (except for last night)...Love It!!!

Monday	Taco's
Tuesday	Chipotle-Lime Chicken with Jamaican Rice Hot Fudge Sundae Cake Apricot-Glazed Carrots
Wednesday	Tangy Pork Sandwiches with Spicy Slaw Macaroni and Cheese
Thursday	Maple Mustard Chicken Baked Potatoes Maple Sauced Pears
Friday	Crock Pot Pizza

I Love Costco...Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Crock Pot Pizza

This recipe is a Taste of Home recipe but for some reason my links never work for thier recipes....so here it is -

Ingredients


1 package (16 ounces) wide egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni, halved
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions


Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Drain noodles.
In a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, spread a third of the meat sauce. Cover with a third of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Repeat layers twice.
Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Shaelee's Birthday Cake

Here is Shaelee's Birthday Cake. One day I really wish to take cake decorating classes...but until then, I will keep plugging away at it. It was fun and she loved it and so did the neighbor girls :)

Phone and Water - Don't Mix

Last night I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub bathing my Kaylee girl, when a sudden splash occurred. My cell phone had fallen out of my back pocken right into the tub. OH GREAT!!! Less than 2 months ago I got myself a DROID....and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! So I immediately took it out of the water, removed the battery and the SD card, dried off any water that I could see, then started to cry. Not really, but I wanted to!! Needless to say, when I got up this morning I hurried to my phone to try to salvage it- Hopefully!! NOPE...it did nothing. So I called Verizon to activate my old phone and the gal who helped me told me that she had heard from other customers that putting the phone in a ziploc bag with dry rice would help to absorb the moisture. So here my Droid sits on the counter in a bag full of rice...hoping that in a day or two it will work!!!

Pound Cake...YUMMMO!!!!

My husband and I have become Alton Brown Goo Roo's...literally!! So, one of my days in bed after my surgery I was watching recorded episodes of Good Eats. When I seen this one I had to make it...Pound Cake. Very good choice. I made it in 2 bread pans and froze one to keep on hand for trifle's or just toasted with some jam.

Banana Cream Bars

These are like HEAVEN!!! So, so, so GOOD!! My husband says they are cross between carrot cake and banana bread. The frosting is like that on carrot cake and cake like banana bread.

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

2 large, or 3 medium-sized, very ripened bananas, mashed

Frosting
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

1. in a large electric mixer bowl, cream 1 stick of butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar together.
2. Add the unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beat each one throughly. Add 2 tsp. vanilla and sour cream.
3. In a seperate mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add alternating with mashed bananas to the creamed ingredients. Mix well after each addition.
4. Spoon into a greased 15 x 10 x1-in. baking pan. bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.
5. Meanwhile, make frosting by beating together cream cheese, 6 Tbsp. butter, milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, and confectioners sugar. Spread over cooled bars and sprinkle with nuts if you wish.

Dinner Menu Week of August 9th….and Las Vegas/Henderson Bound :)

Monday	Tuna Cakes** VeggiesTin Foil Potatoes
Tuesday	Spaghetti French Bread Caesar Salad
Wednesday	Left Over Tuna CakesSaladCorn on the Cob
Thursday	Polish SausagesHot DogsFrench Fries

Friday we are Las Vegas/Henderson bound. Home here we come!! I am so ready to visit GREAT Friends and do some much needed shopping. Saturday night we plan on eating at Lucille's to celebrate Shaelee's Birthday (tomorrow, August 11^th), Our Anniversary (August 12^th), and my birthday (August 19^th). Nothin like killin 3 birds with one stone!

**Last night when I made the tuna cakes and after I shaped them into patties I coated them in Panko Bread Crumps, and then cooked them up in the skillet. They were so good!! Panko Bread Crumbs are AWESOME and are something I keep on hand.

Lamoille Canyon Picinic

So I had my gull bladder surgery on Thursday the 29th of July and Saturday (July 31st) my husband decided we needed a family outing. I agreed to it...I was feeling pretty good. So we headed up to Lamoille Canyon to let the kiddos play in the water. It was so nice and pretty we decided to go back and spend Sunday (August 1st) up there and pack a picnic. My husband made some AWESOME Fried Chicken...so good :)  It was a true picnic with sides of potato salad and watermelon and lemonade. It was a great weekend and good food :)

Saturday

Sunday

Dinner Menu Week of August 2nd

Monday	Papa Murphy's Pizza
Tuesday	Pork Rubbed Chili Tacos with Avocado and Cucumber Salsa (I decided to switch it up from the beef….very good choice)
Wednesday	Pork Chimichanga's – Left Over Meat from last night (added some rice and beans)
Thursday	Sweet and Hot Drum Sticks** Veggies Sea Salt Dinner Rolls
Friday	Tacos

Not sure why but I have been avoiding blog posting for a while...but here is last weeks dinner menu...VERY LATE!!!

** Hot and Sweet Drum Sticks...I actually took the skins off of the drum sticks, seasoned them with salt and pepper and broiled them turning them once to get them crisp. Then I pour the sauce over. I double the sauce recipe.

No Dinner Menu This Week...

Because I have a bit much going on this week, I am not going to post a dinner menu. After tonight, I am not cooking for the rest of the week, but....here is what I made last night...
Chilli-Rubbed Steak Tacos with Avacado and Cucumber Salsa
and tonight I am making...
Skillet Lasagna with some french bread.

It is easy to see that the Chillie Rubbed Steak Tacos have become me go to recipe every week. They are a HUGE hit in my house and I do the meat in the crockpot, so it can be any tough piece of beef, cause at the end, it is nice and tender.

Also, this past Sunday I made the ever so rich Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle for my Brother-in-Law for his birthday. This go around I made it full blown peanut butter as the recipes calls. He says it is great, I did not have the sweet tooth to dare try it. I also made a chocolate eclair cake for my family. It is trusted favorite, can't go wrong kind of thing. It is so yummy....

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Family Favorite!!!!

1 box graham crackers
6 oz instant vanilla pudding (2 - 3 oz or the 1-5.1 oz works too)
3 Cups Milk
8 oz Cool Whip, Thawed

Fudge Frosting
1 Cup white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 c. cocoa*
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter*
1 tsp vanilla

Liberally grease a 9 x 13-in baking dish and line with graham crackers. DO NOT CRUSH :) Mix together the milk and pudding; fold in Cool Whip. Pour half of this mixture over the graham crackers, then top with another layer of graham crackers. Pour the remainder of the the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Lay a third layer of graham crackers over the pudding mixture. Frost top layer with Fudge Frosting or other chocolate frosting.
Fudge Frosting: Combine Sugar, salt and cocoa and milk in a small sauce pan. Heat slowly; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Cool. Beat until smooth and spread over crackers.
*If using salted butter I would omit the salt. If using non-salted butter use the salt called for.