LET’S READ TOGETHER

http://www.babiesbooksandbeyond.com/2012/12/a-to-z-book-challenge-2013.html

http://thoughtsatoneinthemorning.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-classics-reading-challenge-2013.html

http://mybookdragon.blogspot.com/2012/12/library-books-reading-challenge.html

http://operationreadbible.blogspot.com/2012/12/cloud-of-witnesses-reading-challenge.html

http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/

http://doingdeweydecimal.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/2013-book-to-movie-website/

http://bookmarktoblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/monthly-key-word-reading-challenge.html

http://anastaciaknits.net/2013/01/12/crafty-book-challenge/

http://inspirationalmoments.thereadersroundtable.com/?p=220

Well the list can go on & on, there’s  a few here that’s caught my eye as I love to read & always reading something, just click on the links to find out the info on the challenges, if there’s nothing here that peaks your interest just type in reading challenges 2012 in your search where you’ll find tons!  & no I wont be doing all of these lol! theses are just some that caught my interest

EATING FROM THE PANTRY DAY THREE

SUNDAY FIXINS

Saturday I didn’t have to fix anything as we started out that morning to one of my nieces birthday party, hamburgers, hot dogs, cake,ice cream & kids running everywhere lol!then it was off to the other side of town to a meeting which supper was include so today we eat from the pantry again chicken-n-dumplings &supposedly chocolate cake

did you notice no icing on the cake lol!I first set out to make a yellow cake with chocolate icing, got side tracked & put the cocoa in before I knew it oh well chocolate cake is good we’ll just make buttercream icing, right? well I just got to putting things in the mixer, milk butter & get to the powdered sugar & there's not enough ,so I pull out  a jar of my home canned peaches   

 

& look at hubby & say we meant to make it like this lol!

it doesn’t always have to be a lot to make a good satisfying meal

EATING FROM THE PANTRY DAY ONE & DAY TWO

for breakfast I made crock pot oatmeal, it didn’t wake us up to delicious smells like it says it will lol! for me it was just plain oatmeal, I didn’t think to snap a picture , sorry, but it was good layered apples in the bottom then brown sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal, water, better than instant, beats stirring at the stove so I’ll probably make it again

last night I divided the left over rotisserie chicken & the rice hubby had cooked up

I only needed 1/2 of the cream of chicken & the broth so I divided that  too, the other 1/2 will be for chicken-n-dumplings later, so what did I make?

chicken-n-rice,black eyed peas,stuffed eggs & tried a new biscuit recipe, you melt a stick of butter, mix all the ingredients & spread into a pan or dish cut into the dough & bake

for breakfast this morning, I pulled one sausage patty from the freezer & made sausage gravy which we had over  the leftover biscuits

for supper it was egg salad club style, well who says egg salad has to be boring lol!

I was going to try  a new shortbread cookie recipe but didn’t want to use up all of my butter so I opted for my peanut butter cookies & decided to add chocolate chips

it’s fun to step outside the same oh same oh box every once in awhile

EATING FROM THE PANTRY

have you ever looked into the pantry, or the fridge & thought there’s nothing to eat even though there’s things in there? I came across a neat site the other day

http://erinbrans.com/2013/02/how-to-eat-without-spending-money-2.html

she suggest that you make a list of everything in the pantry, the fridge & in the freezer, then go over your list & compile meals from your list, I thought no way, there’s nothing but odd & ends in there but decided to give it a try ,now mind you I haven't had time to go by the store & buy real to goodness groceries yet  so there’s nothing at least that’s what I thought lol!

humm lets see what we have here

1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, bread, eggs,bacon,pancake mix,cocoa, flour,pinto, limas, cornbread mix, peanut butter,butter, onions,stewed tomatoes, cream of chicken, peaches, lemons & the list goes on lol!

chicken-n-rice, chicken-n-dumplings,if I can keep him outta the  chicken lol, choc cake, lemon pie or maybe cookies humm lemonade perhaps,omelets,egg salad sandwiches,bacon & egg sandwiches,pear fritters, beans & cornbread, lots of beans lol! just a few things that can be made from the pantry & the fridge ,now to see what else we can come up with from our list lol! come on you can do it! make a list of things in the pantry, the fridge & the freezer, then plan meals from your list, try it! you might be surprised!

upon retiring for bed last night  we went over the list & came up with about 20 things to make so far,

now here comes another good part I noticed in one her  comment replies she posted a link, you check what you have & it gives you recipes whoo hoo! who knew there was also chocolate waffles & Frappuccino in my pantry & so much more, check it out!

http://myfridgefood.com/index.php?clear=1

be sure to use the detailed list too as it brings  up a different list

what do you do with  two little ole apples & some oatmeal? make overnight oatmeal

http://bestfoodpins.com/archives/7022

so how much fun is it to play in the pantry? when you take the grocery money that you saved  & head out to your favorite store! lol!

A NEW TWIST ON TUNA SALAD

How many times do we make the same oh same oh tuna, mayo, pickles etc. sandwich? I came across a sandwich on pinterest & thought humm that’s the same as a tuna salad sandwich  it’s just not all mixed up lol! so I set out to give it a try

I packed it  a little too much lol!hubby asked how to eat it & I explained if you turn it up on it’s end & eat it like a taco I think we can make it lol! it’s just a simple layer of

mayo,  shredded lettuce,  sliced tomatoes',white tuna,black sliced olives & sliced boiled eggs, this was  a refreshing new twist to the same oh same oh tuna salad & will definitely be made again

the original link  http://www.marthastewart.com/346398/tuna-nicoise-sandwiches        calls for marinating red onions in olive oil & red wine vinegar, I didn’t have any of those so I opted out, maybe next time as I’m sure it will give  a totally different taste so what do you think, did I come close to the picture? lol?

WHO WANTS COOKIES!

my sweet grand babies had been sick so what was a Nanna to do but make some big ole cookies lol! I made up my typical sugar cookie recipe & divided it four ways

I knew my cookie cutter was big but  wasn’t expecting it to make such big cookies lol! but the dough produced a little over  a dozen for this size & scraps left over white I made little round cookies

Spring & Summer will soon be upon us, as they are always telling me to take them to the Zoo lol! there'll be lots of Zoo trips, picnics,cookie making, tea parties, just plain having fun!

we have a few old tires  & I’ve been wondering what to do with them hummm whatta ya think? lol!

so where to put all those grand kids? put um in a  box! lol!(just gotta love Pinterest)lol!

soooo what to you do with seven grands? simply love um! kiss um! enjoy them! & embrace every minute! and every once in a  while make cookies!

RED IN THE KITCHEN!

I’ve been tweaking & redoing the kitchen all week, there was one small counter space by the stove that just wasn’t cooperating, no matter what I did I didn’t like it, then waa laaa! it just needed a touch of red lol! the jar lids are antique coffee lids  sitting on top of a regular lid, I love to have beans on hand, when all else fails, beans & cornbread right?

humm a white stove  can be sooo,  well ,white lol! but there’s red for it to, now mind you he knows not to touch these that they are just for looking lol!

my little dish buffet needed something, Red Rooster to the rescue, a Happy Birthday gift to myself from the Cracker Barrel lol!

Big Red is happy to be  a part of the kitchen decor but he’s keeping his eye on another new comer (a gift from sister)

the table got  a new look too but it’s time to make cookies now lol!

LEFT OR RIGHT?

While working on my scrappy trip around the world blocks I noticed how the coordinating blocks flow  going toward the right

then I noticed if you turn the strips around they flow going towards the left,

oh I hope this project’s not going to cause me insanity of decision lol!

so, left or right? does it matter? does left or right effect the look of the diamond shape you get or should get when they’re sewn together?

does quilting drive you just a little over the edge at times? lol! oh well I shall ponder these thoughts while I go back to working on aprons lol!

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/scrappy-trips-around-world.html

COFFEE TEA OR HOT CHOCOLATE?

I love my little coffee/tea/hot chocolate station, hubby says the marshmallows look like cotton balls in a doctors office lol!

the tea cup was a birthday present from my sister many many moons ago

love little  inspirational sayings tucked here & there, surround yourself with things that make you happy & things that make you smile

RECALLING TACO SALAD

While going back through older blog post, by the way how many years will a blog hold? lOl!  anyways I came across my sisters version of Taco salad, now I want some lol!

you will need............

ground beef(could also use chuck,turkey etc)

1 pkg.taco bell seasoning

Sm. jar chunky Pace salsa(or salsa of your choice)

onion

tostados bits(or chips of your choice)

shredded lettuce

tomatoes

shredded cheese

BACON TOMATO DIP

1c. mayo

1c.sour cream

2c. chopped tomatoes

1 bag Hormel bacon pieces

mix & chill while preparing meat

cook beef with onions,add 1 pkg taco seasoning with water according to pkg.directions,add salsa, arrange chips on plate, meat mixture, lettuce cheese,meat mixture, top with dip the

dip is also good eaten alone with chips

JUST A HINT IN THE KITCHEN

How sweet is it to be able to grab a plate, fill a glass..at a moments notice when needed? there’s all kinds of dish buffet ideas floating around cypher space, the kitchen is getting  a new look around the room, we spent the entire day taking everything off counters etc & redoing, taking out, pulling in, tweaking till we dropped lol!

there are actually 3 bowls on top of the microwave, I bought these for a steal a few years ago & decided they make me happy to look at so where can I put them, microwave! perfect! which you’ll see in another post

the little deer plates I purchased at Wal-Mart back before Christmas, so I pulled them out to play with my dish buffet, so it’ll change next post

see the little bird peeking out? she’s actually a tea light holder, I have a silk little pot on top of where the candle goes, to the left of the microwave I have  a coffee/tea/hot choc. bar going

today I will work on more pictures, & work more in the sewing room which will be turned into a Den if it doesn’t shape up by the weekend lol!

all this tweaking sure makes a body tired!

NOOOO IT’S NOT BUBBLE BATH!

we are having crazy weather here in Alabama, freezing 30’s one day, with the next day to pop up into the 60’s I’m kid you not, we had a week of 50’s, 60’s  just a few weeks ago the bam! snow outta nowhere, & we never get snow but once in a blue moon, ok enough about weather, blue moons & snow lol!

I came across this on Pinterest & had it saved, but with the crazy temps we’re having I decided to give it  a try because the fleas aren’t sure if it’s summer or not lol 

  

1 cup dishwashing liquid (I used Palmolive cause that’s what I had)

1 cup white vinegar

1 quart warm water

mix  in a bowl & transfer into bottle of choice

for more on this see  http://www.food.com/recipe/natural-dog-shampoo-flea-removal-480112

this worked great for my little ones &  will be a keeper for in between their Advantage treatments

yes they have their own heater LOL! we lost little Shilo on the right back in August, if you’d like to read that post  you can find it here

http://nannastreasures.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-heart-is-heavy.html

 

 

 

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME?

if you’re here looking for my  213 New FO Challenge post it’s over here  http://nannasraggedys-n-prims.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-caved-into-taking-trip-lol.html

could this be why I’m getting emails instead of comments? lol! I’ve been thinking about moving all my sew a longs over  here, since Google bring s you over here anyway or do you find  me if you click on one of the other blogs, just wondering, most likely I’m just talking out of tiredness lol!