Menu Plan Monday..

Last week we tried a new recipe for banana pudding. It was super yummy!! I didn't get a picture of it though.

I also attempted homemade rolls. I'm not a very experienced bread-maker, though. The recipe is from a lady in the town I grew up in. She used the recipe to make rolls and cinnamon rolls, so I did as well. This was my first time ever to make homemade cinnamon rolls. I'm pretty certain I got the water too hot, so the dough did not rise properly. However, the cinnamon rolls were still very tasty!! I'll post the recipe below.



I also took a picture of the Greek lemon chicken soup. We love it!! I added 2 stalks of celery plus some of the celery leaves and it was very good. Also, I've always used chicken breasts for it, but I had some leftover roasted chicken in the freezer that I used for it. It turned out very good!
We had the artichoke tomato pasta below two weeks ago and loved it!! So much so that we are having it again this week! I bought a large jar of artichoke hearts and an 8 pack of stewed tomatoes at Costco, so we'll be having this pasta a few times in the coming weeks! I'll try to take a picture of it this time.

On to this week....

*=new recipe
Monday--beef stew, rolls, salad

Tuesday--fajitas, chips, salsa

Wednesday--buffalo chicken chili mac*, salad

Thursday--pan fried chicken, artichoke tomato pasta, steamed veggies

Friday--burgers with homemade buns, roasted potatoes, salad

Saturday--meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans (carried over from last week)

*************************************************************************************
Mrs. B's Cinnamon Rolls

2 cups warm water
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1 T. Wesson oil or melted shortening
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
flour

Add yeast and oil to warm water. Mix salt, sugar, and 2 c. flour together. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and mix well. Add enough flour to make a workable dough. Knead in all the flour it can take on a floured surface. Set in a warm spot and let double in size. Punch down, roll into rolls, and let rise. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

For cinnamon rolls:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c. sugar
cinnamon

Make roll recipe, except after first rise, roll dough ou to 1/4" thick on a floured surface. Melt butter and brush over dough. Sprinkle with sugar and dust generously with cinnamon. Roll into tube shape and pinch edges together. Cut about 1" thick and place on greased pan.

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/4 c. water

Spread glaze onto uncooked rolls and let rise 20 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

(I think the next time I make these, I'll mix up a cream cheese icing to top them with when they come out of the oven.)

For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

I don't see it..... (WW)

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here or here!

I'm a winner!

During the Ultimate Blog Party I did some party hopping and actually came away a winner at a couple of places!

At i-Mommy, I won a Family Game Pack!! It just so happens that thes games included were my favorite games when I was growing up. I can't wait to play them with the boys!!

I also won at Val's place!! She had a get to know Val quiz and had 5 people get all 25 answers correct. I was the lucky one drawn as the winner!! I won an 8x10 canvas gallery-wrap of any personal photo that I choose. I still haven't decided which picture to use. I tried to get a good picture of the boys yesterday, but Lucas went to bed late on Saturday, woke during the night, woke up earlier than normal, and didn't have a nap. Needless to say, he did NOT want to take pictures. I'm going to try again, this time making sure Lucas is well rested!

I'm super excited about both prizes!! Thanks, Val and Lori!!

Menu Plan Monday..

Last week didn't go as planned. However, we ate at home each night. Some nights we had leftovers instead of cooking a new meal and others we just had whatever we could find. So, we have three meals carried over to this week. As I stated last week, I was planning on going into DC to get tickets to the White House Egg Roll. You can read more on that here. We weren't home much on Easter, so that meal got moved to today. We did our egg hunt at the park and then went to a carnival. On the way home, we stopped and picked up the ever popular Easter meal of McD's!! Here are a few pictures of our day (I'm sure I will post more later)...




On to this week....

*=new recipe

Monday--ham, potato casserole (recipe below), salad, deviled eggs, green jello salad*, and banana pudding*

Tuesday--leftover turkey loaf from last week, green bean casserole, salad

Wednesday--meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday--Greek lemon chicken soup, homemade rolls* (I'm using a recipe from a lady in the town I grew up in---if they turn out, I'll share the recipe next week)

Friday--leftovers


Potato Casserole (I got this recipe out of a church cookbook)

2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes (I use southern style)
1/2 c. melted butter
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
10 0z. Cheddar cheese, shredded
Topping:
2 c. crushed corn flakes
1/2 c. melter butter

Thaw potatoes (I never do) and combine all ingredients (except for topping) in a large mixking bowl (and I do mean large!!). Pour mixture into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake 1 to 1.5 hours at 350 degrees or until topping is browned and casserole is bubbling.


For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Happy Easter!!

Well, I had planned on going into DC and trying to get tickets for the Easter Egg Roll. However, after doing some more research, I learned that you truly do have to be there 12 hours in line to actually get tickets. I think you can go on Monday and spend less time in line, but hubby has to work on Monday and I don't think I want to stand in line for hours with two kids. On top of that, they will be here working on our bathroom on Monday. However, there is a lady that organizes a bunch of moms to meet up and wait in line together to get tickets. I'm going to try that next year. I hadn't planned for it this year and then learned that they'd be here working on Monday. What is a bit irritating about the whole thing is that people go wait in line for tickets just so they can sell them for $100+ per ticket (and absolutely everyone must have a ticket). GREEDY!!! While I didn't go stand in line, there are plenty of parents that did and were turned away because lots of these greedy people got there first. I understand these tickets are free to anyone, but if you don't even want to go, let someone who does have chance to get them. I suppose you could say they are giving them a chance----by selling them. It's just sad that to take your kids to such an awesome thing, you have to jump through hoops or be willing to spend big bucks!!

And because I haven't taken any pics today---here is a picture from last year just for kicks!! They've grown soooo much!!

Some more Logan funnies....

Honestly, I don't even remember why this came up, but a couple of days ago Logan was talking about a scubar diver...LOL. He was telling me that a "scubar diver can go diving if they have a scubar tank".

Yesterday Logan asked to watch something on tv. I saw that this movie was on, and he said he wanted to watch it. I remember watching it when I was little and I loved it. Well, Logan does not feel the same way about it. After watching it for a while, he said, "Momma, this movie is for like 12 year olds and I'm only 5" (as he held five fingers up). Oh my---that is one way to tell me you don't like the movie...LOL!!

A few days before that he exclaimed, "What in tarnation??"!!

Hubby replaced the faucet in the kitchen due to the old one leaking. With us only being homeowners for a year, we haven't done many home improvement projects. To top that off, because of the leak, the bolt was super rusted---making it a difficult job. Hubby got it all hooked up and discovered it was still leaking!! Unhooked the water supply line to find the old one didn't have a washer in it---luckily we had some new ones on hand for out bathroom remodel, so hubby put that on. We let Logan stay up to watch (and put Lucas in bed to keep him out of the way!!). Hubby got it all put together and let Logan do the honors of turning on the new faucet...LOL!! Logan stepped back and said, "Yay---we did it!!". To which hubby and I laughed because as you know, a 5 year old hardly helps---unless you count 5,000 questions and hubby being climbed on while laying on his back with head stuck in the cabinet as helping :-)!!

7 facts about me...

I was tagged by Sarah at Mommyology to be a part of this meme. Since I recently did my 100 things about me post for my 100th post, I'm trying to come up with some new things.

Rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


Here are some things about me--

1. Since my dad had custody of me, I spent a lot of time with his parents (my Nanny and Papa) while he worked. Once I was in school, my Nanny was mostly the one to care for me while I was sick. They lived in a small town in the TX panhandle with a population of around 300. They had a farm with alfala and cotton. I loved when they would bale the hay. My cousins and I built houses in the barn with the hay and had a BLAST!! Here is a picture of them on their farm...


2. My sister is 6 years older than I am and is my best friend. We talk several times a week and never seem to be at a loss of what to talk about!! She and I sound so much a like when we talk, that our own family has a hard time telling us apart when we talk to them on the phone. Once my mom was telling me all about a bed she saw for sale and I couldn't figure out why. I think I was in the 6th or 7th grade and wasn't in the market for purchasing a bed...LOL. She thought she was telling my sister, who was looking for a bed!!

3. My mom and dad had 3 kids together. I am the baby there. When I was 9, my mom had re-married and had my little sister. She has since had two more boys, so she has 3 boys and 3 girls.

4. Like Sarah, I lived in a very small town. The population was around 2500. For a long time there was only one stop light and it was a big deal when the second one was added!! There were two grocery stores to choose from and one was litterally called "The Grocery Store". The nearest mall and movie theater were 60 miles away.

5. When in the 3rd grade, we moved into the "country". In actuality, it was a very small town (less than 100 people) 7 miles from the other small town. My very best friend there was Heather. She and I had to find some interesting things to keep ourselves busy. Once we strung rope used in Hands Across America (my dad was a volunteer fireman and helped string the rope through our town) from my house to her house. We then went inside and called each other on the phone to see if the other could feel when we tugged the rope. I'd guess we lived 100 yards from each other...maybe a little more. It was pretty fun until we had to wind all that rope back up!! I lived in that little town until I finished 7th grade.

6. After growing up in such tiny towns, I absolutely love living in the suburbs of a large city!! So much to see and do!!

7. Today is sunny. The birds are chirping, the kids are playing, and the saws are humming!! We have FINALLY got the remodel of our bathroom under way!! There will be plenty of before/after pictures to come.


If they choose to play (no hard feelings if you don't), I am tagging.....

Janice (but I see that she just did her 100th post with lots of fun facts!!)
Beth
Audra (my sister---her blog is private)
Kippy
Jenn
Angie
Julie

Hanging out with the Washingtons...(WW)

Taken at Mt. Vernon.

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here or here!

Photo Opp....

Yes, I do see odd things as a photo opportunity. Last weekend the boys were strapped into the Costco shopping cart and there they were---side by side with no way to escape!! I just so happened to have the camera with me from our venture to the park earlier in the day. My husband was giving me a hard time, but I just couldn't help it. I just wish I had a better backdrop!! OH----and yes, it was WINDY!!








Yep---those are MY boys!!

A winner and other blog finds....

And the winner is-----Comment #61---TheAngelForever

She is also the mom of two boys and they even have just about the same spacing apart in age as my boys!! I can tell from her blog that she loves taking pics of her boys as much as I do!! Congrats--please send me an e-mail with your address and I will get the knife mailed to you ASAP!!


I also met Amy at Memoirs of a Mommy. She is the mom to 4 little girls!! I love reading about her savings. I'd love to learn how to do the CVS thing!!


Then there is Kristin and Beth at Sew, Mama, Sew. Their newest post is about some super cute fabric Easter eggs with a secret pocket!! I really, really want to learn how to sew, so I was glad to find this site!!

I also found a great recipe site by following Rachel's comment. There are some yummy looking things there---and I love trying new things!!

Another great site I found was from following Naomi's comment. We all love free things, and this site keeps you up to date on some online giveaways!!

There are many others---those are just the first few that I bookmarked!!

Menu Plan Monday...

Let's see....last week was another pretty good week as far as sticking to the menu goes. There was an issue on Wednesday, the pork wasn't thawed in time to get it in the crockpot, so we ate leftovers.We had the chili dog casserole on Thursday and I made the pork on Friday. However, it was still tough when it was time to eat, so we went out for pizza. I was going to make the turkey loaf on Sunday, but it wasn't thawed out. The thing is, I had already planned the menu below and gone grocery shopping before I knew we wouldn't be having the turkey loaf.

Hubby and Logan tried to go see Horton Hears a Who on Saturday, but it was sold out. So, they went on Sunday while Lucas and I hung out at home. Then we all went grocery shopping.


Last week we tried the filet mignon and garlic red potatoes (and a favorite of ours...Syrian green beans. The filet mignon was just okay, however, I think it was my fault and not the recipe's. The steaks were thawed, but I think they we still very cold in the middle, so they were not coming up to temp fast enough in the center, so they got overcooked on the outside. Next time I would let the steaks sit at room temp for a while.

The garlic red potatoes were super yummy. I loved the lemon on them!!

The chili dog casserole was pretty good. Some people on Allrecipes left bad reviews, but to me, it was very similar to a hot dog. The tortillas do get slightly soft, but I thought it was fine and gave it more of a hot dog bun consistency. I used fajita sized tortillas and just rolled the hotdogs up in them. I did boil the hotdogs first based on one of the reviews there. I'm sure we'll have it again!!

So, on to this week....

*=new recipe

Monday--maid rites (like sloppy joes), tater tots, salad

Tuesday--pan fried chicken, artichoke tomato pasta*

Wednesday--meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday--Greek lemon chicken soup, homemade rolls* (I'm using a recipe from a lady in the town I grew up in---if they turn out, I'll share the recipe next week)

Friday--turkey breast, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce

Saturday--leftovers--wish me luck-->I'm going into DC to try to get some tickets to the Easter egg roll!!

Sunday--HAPPY EASTER!!---->ham (leftover turkey for hubby---he doesn't care for ham), potato casserole (recipe below), salad, deviled eggs, green jello salad*, and banana pudding*

Potato Casserole (I got this recipe out of a church cookbook)

2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes (I use southern style)
1/2 c. melted butter
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
10 0z. Cheddar cheese, shredded
Topping:
2 c. crushed corn flakes
1/2 c. melter butter

Thaw potatoes (I never do) and combine all ingredients (except for topping) in a large mixking bowl (and I do mean large!!). Pour mixture into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake 1 to 1.5 hours at 350 degrees or until topping is browned and casserole is bubbling.


For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

A Day at the Park..... (WW)

Also, if you haven't already, be sure to visit my blog party and sign up for my giveaway!!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go here or here!

Nothing like....

There is nothing like being serenaded at 6:30 in the morning. Especially if the song of choice is "Gulp, gulp" by the Wiggles!! Thing is, it comes out more like "ulp, ulp water". Lucas even made his own verse. "Ulp, ulp chocat nealk". In case you don't understand 2 year old talk, that's chocolate milk. Oh my---I was laughing so hard!!

Lucas woke up screaming at 6:30 (he usually wakes up around 8) this morning. He doesn't typically wake up in the night anymore and when he does, he isn't usually screaming and crying. I brought him to bed with us and at first he snuggled up to his daddy and we thought he would drift off to sleep. Nope---he decided to sing to us instead.

I just can't resist this precious boy!!

Menu Plan Monday...

YAY!!! Last week we stuck to the plan and used up all of the meals planned. It did change slightly because the chicken wasn't thawed in time for dinner one night, but we just had leftovers that night and I cooked one night on the weekend. Typically I try to cook during the week and we have leftovers on the weekend.

We went to the park for a little while on Sunday and I do believe spring is around the corner!! I can't wait for the cherry blossom festival this year!!


We tried the Indian tacos and LOVED them!! We ate them two nights in a row and again on the weekend. I used one pound hamburger meat, 2 cans Ranch Style Beans, and one can water to make mine. The first night I had let the mixture get too thick, so the next night I added some water to it to thin it back out. Samantha is right---it was really good when some of the juices soaked into the bread. Now, I'm going to be asking what her guess is on the measurements for milk/flour for the bread. I made bread two nights and it was super, super sticky. Perhaps I needed more flour?? However, it seemed fine once it was fried up!! We served it with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce (LOVE it!!), and salsa. We use this salsa and LOVE it (we use salsa casera)!!



One thing that I made that wasn't planned was Ree's bread pudding. OH.MY.WORD!! It is sooo good--and I would consider myself one to not like bread pudding!! It even reheats nicely!! My husband had made some bread that we weren't eating fast enough. I didn't want it to go bad, so I decided to use it in this recipe. Another change I made--I didn't have whiskey and didn't want to make a special purchase. However, I did have rum, so I used it. Tasted great to me!! I'll warn you that this is very sweet. I thought about reducing the sugar in the future, but I'm not sure that it would get caramelized the way it should. So, I'll stick to it the way it is and eat a small serving!!





So, on to this week....

*=new recipe

Monday--filet mignon with balsamic glaze*, garlic red potatoes*, Syrian green beans

Tuesday--chicken spaghetti, carrots, salad

Wednesday--pulled pork sandwiches*, beans, salad

Thursday--turkey and stuffing loaf (recipe below), green bean casserole, carrots

Friday--chili dog casserole*, fries, salad

I also made a popcorn cake (which I googled and found out Emeril's mom made it for him!!) and purchased everything to make Ree's apple dumplings. I showed the "secret" ingredient to my husband and he HAD to try them--being that he is a HUGE Mt. Dew fan. Me--I can't stand the stuff, but I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out!

Also, if you haven't already, be sure to visit my blog party and sign up for my giveaway!!

I got this recipe from an online friend. It sounds a bit odd, but we love it. I don't use canned cranberry sauce, I make my own.
Turkey and Stuffing Loaf

1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 egg
1 box of Stove Top stuffing
1 can cranberry sauce

Make stuffing according to directions on box, mix ground turkey and egg together, add cooked stuffing. Form into loaf on pan or put in loaf pan. Spread cranberry sauce on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour..


For more menu plan Monday fun, head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Welcome to the Party!!

UPDATE!!
I've extended my giveaway to end on March 16th and I will draw a winner on Monday the 17th!! I know I've had a hard time making it around the bloggy world this week, so wanted to extend it slightly in case others can't make it until this weekend!!

Scroll down for door prize!!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting the Ultimate Blog Party from March 7-14. If this is your first visit, here is a little about me.

My name is Candi and I have been married to my best friend for nearing 8 years. I actually met him online (when I was 17....so we've actually been together over 11 years), so we are proof that it really can work. We live in the D.C. metro area, after staying here when hubby got out of the Army in 2004. I am a stay at home mom to two boys. Logan is 5 now and boy does that child know how to make me laugh!! Lucas just turned two and is a complete joy!! I absolutely love my boys!!

Thanks for stopping by!! If you're lucky, my boys will entertain you while you are here!!



(I edited this to be open to all after checking shipping rates!)
Be sure to leave a comment to be entered in the door prize drawing (open to all!!). I have one of these and LOVE it!! I use the scissors a lot to cut down straws that are too long for the boys (thanks to my sister for that idea!!). This keeps them from having to tilt the cup so much to reach the straw. Anyway, I thought I'd offer one up as a door prize here!! (Just a note--I saw them for sale on Amazon with bad reviews with advice not to use them as a key chain. I don't--I just carry it in my purse and have never had any issues!)

I will leave it open for the week of the party and then choose a winner using random.org. Good luck!!



The one I have to give away is new in package and is lime!!

Be sure to check out 5 Minutes for Mom for more parties and prizes!!

There are lots of great prizes!! Here are my top picks:

1--#100
2--#11
3--#101
4--#14
5--#117
6--#59
7--#60
8--#61
9--#30
10--#58
11--#108