Chicken and dumplings

 One of my favorite foods is chicken and dumplings. I could eat dumplings every day. I have tried and tried and never successfully made good dumplings until today. Usually my dumplings disintegrate or become one giant clump of dumpling. But this time they worked out.

I boiled a bunch of chicken legs until so tender the meat was falling off bone. I added a couple cans of broth and a scoop of powdered bouillon and a quart jar full of water to the legs.  Once the legs were fully cooked, I put them in a bowl to tear the meat off. I saved the bones in a bag in the freezer to make bone broth with later on. 

I mixed up 3 cups self rising flour, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 c water and dash of salt. Once it was blended together I pinched off quarter size balls and dropped carefully into the broth. I did probably 8-10 at a time. I let the dumplings cook about 8 minutes then would spoon out into a bowl with some broth in it and added more dumplings to broth. Once they were all cooked I added the chicken meat and the dumplings back into broth to be stirred together and served. 

So long 2020 and some vanilla recipes.

  2020 has been a hard year for the whole world it seems. I didn't even realize I hadn't blogged at all this year. I know I am not the same person I was when 2020 started. I don't think I have entered a 10 contests this year even. I am more tired than ever in my life.  

I did make some vanilla sugar the other day and start some vanilla extract. My daughter is now in love with the sugar and thinks she may not be able to use regular sugar again lol.

Vanilla Sugar

2 Vanilla beans

2 cups sugar

so easy to make. Just slice the beans open and scrape the seeds out. Mix into the 2 cups of sugar. Put in a jar with the bean pods. Shake until mixed. Takes 2 days before the sugar is ready to use. Store in a cool dark spot. Every time you see it you can give it a shake and as you use the sugar you can just add more sugar to the bean pods and keep using them until you no longer get any scent when you open the jar. 

Vanilla Extract

Jar

waxed paper square

Vodka

4 vanilla pods

I cut the pods into half and sort of split them open. Put into the jar. I used about a quart jar.  Add vodka to within 1 inch of top so you have room to shake and mix. put the waxed paper square on top of jar and screw in lid. For the first 2-3 weeks you will shake the jar daily. Then for the next 3 months shake at least a couple of times a week. The longer you let it sit the stronger the vanilla flavoring will be. The best vanilla sits for a year to 2 years. Store in a cool dark place in your pantry. I plan to let mine sit for 1 year so by Christmas 2021 it should be ready. I am going to give it as gifts next Christmas. 

Going Low Carb and a Chauffle.

Its been months and months since I have blogged. Been really depressed and just a lot of health problems. I was trying to get an MRI for my back and my insurance required physical therapy. I went to the place I went before but this time I got a guy named Jamal? and he hurt me really bad. I have knots across my lower back and he decided it would be a good idea to try to press these knots out. I won't lie, I burst into tears and he still wouldn't stop. I cried for about the 5-10 minutes he kept working on my back. It was horrible and hurt me for about 5 weeks. I just can't complete the therapy because its just too painful so no MRI.

Then Sept 13th (Friday the 13th) I had what the dr's called a cardiac event. Spent 3 days in the hospital and had to have a heart catherization. They found nothing wrong so still no clue what happened. I did manage to lose 8 lbs while in hospital and I had lost some before going in. So all told I lost about 21 lbs. I decided that was a great time to get back in gear.

I am trying low carb because the last time I went low carb it really helped with all the body pain and I felt a lot better. Something that is new since the last time I did low carb is everyone is making something called a chauffle.  So I ordered a  Dash Mini Waffle maker on Amazon. They have apparently went up on price lately due to being so popular. I picked a pink one for 14.99 and it was on backorder for a week. 

I like eating sandwiches and this is going to be awesome.  Basically a chauffle is 1 egg and 3/4 cup shredded cheese. I used colby jack for mine.  Stir it all till blended.  Put 1/2 the mix on the waffle maker and close lid.  Takes 3-5 minutes per chauffle..   I made 2 and used them like a bun for hamburger. It didn't taste eggy at all but was so good. You can make them sweet or savory. Tons of recipes out there. So excited. 

Making Lasagna with #Ragu4You

I recently got a #ComfortVox box in the mail from Influenster.com. It was full of awesome free samples and coupons. One of those coupons was a for a free jar of Ragu. Today I am going to share my recipe for lasagna that we made with Ragu. I made 2 pans full of lasagna, one for us and one for my neighbor. She recently had a baby and that makes her #5 so I thought I would help her make dinner one night for the family.

I grew up with my grandmother and everyone I knew using Ragu. It was years before I knew it wasn't the only pasta sauce out there (lol), When I got married I continued to use Ragu. Then I stopped making pasta for a long time because my ex hated any form of pasta and it just was a big hassle to deal with making something he hated. When we separated I think I made lasagna 3 times a week for 6 months :).

This is my daughter redeeming our free coupon for Ragu :)

I am sure everyone knows how to make lasagna but here is my quick and simple recipe. Warning, it is very cheesy so if you aren't a cheese fan you will have to make changes.

1 box of lasagna noodles. (it usually takes around 9 long noodles for each pan) I used oven ready
16 oz of cottage cheese ( we only like Kroger brand for some reason)
8 oz of finely shredded mozzarella cheese

sauce
1 jar of your favorite flavor Ragu
14 oz can of petite diced cut tomatoes
1/2 lb of hamburger meat

Sauce
I brown the hamburger and drain the grease off of it. Then I add a jar of Ragu and a can of petite cut diced tomatoes. (everyone always things I have made from scratch my sauce because of the added tomatoes) Let it cook for about 15 minutes to get all the flavors mixed.

I always mix my cheeses, so in a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese and the mozzarella cheese.  Even though my noodles were oven ready I like to give them a quick dip in bowling water just to soften them. I get the water boiling, dip the noodles for about a minute or so then put in the pan.
I put a layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. I never measure but its probably about a cup of sauce then I add 3 noodles side by side, Layer 1/2 the cheese mix on top of the noodles,  Put a layer of sauce, Top that with 3 more noodles, then put the rest of the cheese for another layer of cheese and then 3 more noodles. Then I put another cup or some of sauce on the top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. About 10 minutes before its done I like to sprinkle a handful of mozzarella cheese over top the sauce to brown.  When you first take it out of the oven it will be very runny because of the melted cheese. We let it sit about 20 minutes before cutting to keep it from being so runny.

This was so good, that we almost licked the pan. Apparently it has been too long since I made lasagna because usually we have leftovers to eat the next day but we ate the whole pan in one evening.  I also make stuffed shells just the same way only instead of layering the noodles, I stuff the shells with the cheese mix and put sauce of them. My daughter thinks it taste better as stuffed shells. I tell her its exactly the same but she still swears by stuffed noodles. I really want to say thanks to Influenster and  #Ragu4You for the free sauce.

I received one or more products mentioned above for review purpose. No other form of compensation was received. My opinions are my own. Your opinion may vary from mine. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Fruit Jam Labels Review

Take a journey down memory lane...Watching your grandma make your favorite, homemade jelly, dipping your finger in the delicious sauce (Yum!) and feeling the family love all around. Now you have chosen to continue the tradition or start a new hobby. Whatever the case may be, we would be delighted to provide you with our one of a kind label that is meant for your delicious creation.

My Thoughts
I love to garden and save the fruits of my labors by canning. I like to make gift baskets for friends and family out of those canned goods. I can remember the first time I helped anyone can was my former mother in law. They had grape vines on their property and those grapes were the best ever. I wish we would have had such cute labels as these to put on our jars. These fruit jelly labels can be ordered in a huge variety of fruits and sizes. After all that work canning you know you would like to go that one extra step that make your canned goods look extra special.

Order your custom fruit jam labels today

I received one or more products mentioned above for review purpose. No other form of compensation was received. My opinions are my own. Your opinion may vary from mine. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

HemisFares™ BzzCampaign

HemisFares^™ Dry Pasta Facts

Ready to impress friends with your noodle know-how? Here’s what you can share about each of the imported dry pastas from the NEW HemisFares^™ line:

Fusilli Bucati Lunghi

16 oz. for $3.99
From Campania, Italy, this long pasta was first made by twisting a pasta thread around a fuse or a spindle.

Orecchiette

12 oz. for $2.99
The distinctive rounded shape of this imported pasta was inspired by the roofs of ancient Apulian houses, called trulli. It comes from the Puglia region and its name is translated as “little ear.”

Rigatoni

12 oz. for $2.99
Hailing from the Lazio region of Italy, this tubular pasta comes from the Italian word “rigati,” which means ridged.

Tagliatelle

9 oz. for $3.99
From the Marché region, this egg-based pasta was originally crafted by generations of local women from Campofilone (and is produced there to this day!). It’s made from durum wheat and over 35% eggs, then worked by hand without the addition of any water.

Anelli Giganti

12 oz. for $2.99
This authentic pasta shape originated in Southern Italy; it’s produced with the highest quality ingredients before being bronze cut, leaving it with rough, porous edges to better catch and hold sauces.

Chifferini

12 oz. for $2.99
Originally from the southern island of Sicily, this half-moon-shaped, ridged pasta has a very long drying process — resulting in a strong color and a rich, hearty flavor.

All of the HemisFares^™ dry pastas are made by local, artisanal producers in Italy using traditional Gragnano style methods — the highest quality production process for pasta. The machines they use cannot produce more than a few hundred pounds of pasta an hour (compared to tons of pasta at industrial companies). The pasta is then dried for 12–14 hours (compared to 4–6 hours) at a lower temperature to preserve the authentic flavor and natural nutritional value of the wheat used.

My thoughts

The only other noodles I've ever found that are this good were in the freezer. These noodles have a good homemade flavor. They cooked perfect al dente without getting mushy. They were also good warmed up the next day for lunch. I  had never heard of HemisFare pastas before this and had no idea what to expect. I did not know that this was a product of the Kroger brand as well.

I received one or more products mentioned above for review purpose. No other form of compensation was received. My opinions are my own. Your opinion may vary from mine. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Fractionated Coconut Oil Review

Product Description

ONLY ONE INGREDIENT - 100% Pure Fractionated Coconut Oil - No Fillers. The Highest Quality carrier oil available. 16 OUNCE BOTTLE!

ODORLESS, NON-GREASY & COLORLESS - This wonderful fractionated Oil is always Liquid, Odorless, Colorless, Non Greasy & Non Staining

BEST CARRIER OIL for Massage, Therapeutic Recipes & Essential Oils. It also has natural antioxidant and disinfecting properties and does not clog pores. It is an extremely versatile oil that can be used for making anything from bug repellent to hair serum.

VERY LONG SHELF LIFE - Does not go rancid and can also be used to prevent other oils from going rancid

My Thoughts

Any long term readers of my blog know that I love to mix up lotions, scrubs, salves, etc.. I have used regular coconut oil but it is hard and in the winter you can't get the stuff to melt enough to make a scrub or something like that. Fractionated coconut oil is always in liquid form so it stays soft. If you need a salve or something that is a little harder you need to add something like beeswax to the oil. I love that there is no smell, which is a huge benefit when using essential oils. Sometimes when I have used almond or avocado oil it changes the smell of the essential oils and I don't like it. I decided to use this to make a sugar hand scrub because I am getting ready to do some repotting of plants and I can clean my hands with this afterwards.  I prefer sugar to salt because salt is harsher to skin

Coconut and Lavender Sugar Scrub For Hands

1/2 cup fractionated coconut oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar -I like my scrubs to be a bit gritty. You can use less sugar for a softer feel

1/4 teaspoon  lavender essential oil 

2, 400 IU soft gels of 100% Vitamin E

Mix the coconut, sugar and lavender oil in a jar use a needle and poke a hole in the vitamin E gels and squeeze the oil from those into the sugar mix. Stir until the sugar is saturated with oil. I keep mine in a jar and this amount lasts me about a month if I use it several times a week. This softens my hands, gets the dirt off and also soothes any knicks or scrapes. 

Go To Amazon.com and use Coupon Code-RCOCONUT on Amazon.com to get our Fractionated Coconut Oil for 5$


I received one or more products mentioned above for review purpose. No other form of compensation was received. My opinions are my own. Your opinion may vary from mine. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

National Frappe Day

This is one of my oldest's favorite days. She loves frappes. My biggest thing has always been how to pronounce it :)  Some folks say  “frap” while others say “frah-pay," I guess either is fine as long as you are paying.  Here are the top 5 recipes I have saved online over the years. Wikipedia has a page on frappes. It is actually interesting to read about. I had no idea that it was invented accidentally in Greece just over 50 years ago.

Starbucks Cotton Candy Frappuccino from the Budget Savvy Diva- I haven't made this yet but I so love cotton candy so can't wait to try it out.

CARAMEL MACCHIATO from Milo and Me- I love about anything that has caramel in it

McDonald's Caramel Frappe from McDonald's at Home- and on that note, this is my favorite Frappe drink.

Perfect Pumpkin Frappuccino from Pure Imagination- Everyone loves Pumpkin flavored in the fall

Pumpkin Spice Frappe from Peanut Butter and Peppers-  Since it is that time of year again here is pumpkin, this version is low calorie

What is your favorite flavor of frappe?

No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

A friend on Facebook sent me a recipe for a quick and easy no bake cheesecake recipe. I decided to make it for dinner last night. Here are my results after eating :)

This recipe is super easy and fast to make.
1 8oz brick of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of Jello ( I used strawberry) or you can use some kind of juice such as lemon
8oz of whipped topping

Mix everything together and put in a graham cracker crust.  It was ready to eat within 15 minutes. My family loved it and it didn't last the night.

Peanut Day and the Elvis Sandwich

Peanut Day is celebrated each year on September 13 across the United States. I was born in Georgia so I take my peanuts seriously :) I remember once in the Plains area seeing just fields and fields of peanuts. Peanuts aren't really nuts but are legumes. They are also cholesterol free.  I love any sort of peanut butter flavored sweet and I am very fond of peanut noodles. Not long ago I was a Kroger and had a clearance on their brand of peanut butter. I bought 13 jars and we are down to about 4.  I love peanut butter sandwiches with either jelly or banana on them. I haven't tried the Elvis sandwich but I keep saying I am going to.  Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it out

Elvis Sandwich
2 slices bread
2 slices cooked bacon (cut in half)
2 tablespoon peanut butter
1 banana peeled and cut into slices
soft butter

take a slice of bread and spread the peanut butter on it add the banana slices. Top it with the cooked bacon. Put the other slice of bread on top. Coat the outside of both slices of bread with butter and fry in a skillet until the bread is toasted and the peanut butter melts. Its about 2 minutes a side. 

Pinterest Pin of the Day for Tuesday 07/15/2014

My ex husband brought our daughter up a bucket full of blackberries. She wanted me to make a cobbler out of some of them. I decided to look on Pinterest to see what I could find. I found the easiest cobbler recipe I have ever made and it turned out perfect. My daughter was like "this is the perfect cobbler, ever".  The site said it was adapted from a recipe by the Pioneer Woman. I have't ever looked up her recipe to see how it differs but this one here worked for me and its a keeper for our family.

source: Wishes and Dishes via Madonna on Pinterest.

Free Holiday Hosting with Paula Deen

I just love to watch Paula Deen, I love her accent and lets face it butter is queen :).   Smithfield Ham's is offering a pdf book called Holiday Hosting with Paula Deen. It has an assortment of ideas and recipes. I found this link in January so I am hoping they leave the pdf file up until November of this year. If you click the link and it doesn't work drop me a line and let me know and I can email you the pdf since I saved it on my computer.

Johnsonville Kielbasa

Thanks to Bzz I was able to try out Johnsonville Polish Kielbasa for the first time. My daughter was already a fan but I just didn't think it was something I would like so I hadn't tried it. I got a coupon for a free package so me being me, I can't turn down free so I bought some to try. I also got some coupons for $1 off that I passed out to some friends so they could try out Johnsonville's Dinner Sausages on their own.

I wasn't sure how exactly to fix dinner sausage so I went to Pinterest to find some good recipes. The recipe I choose to make with a few modifications was Grandpa's Sauerkraut and Kielbasa. It reminded me of a dish we used to make all the time growing up. I cut the kielbasa into smaller pieces than the recipe called for. I liked it fixed this way. Mandi wanted to try it out in some macaroni and cheese so we fixed some of that the next day. I can't decide which way I preferred it since both were so good. For me, both sauerkraut and macaroni and cheese are comfort foods because they are foods I had growing up. I did like it quite a bit with the creamy macaroni and cheese so I am declaring it a tie. I am thankfully to Johnsonville for giving me the opportunity to try out the kielbasa and I am glad I am a Bzzagent so I can try out new products for free to see if I like them.

Johnsonville is a hit at our house and will be on the menu again. Its a quick and easy meal for those times when I am busy. Its faster than takeout and certainly cheaper and better for my family so I like that a lot.

Hope you had a happy St Paddy's Day.

My St Patrick's day started on a bummer :(. I discovered that a bunch of the giveaways I had entered for some odd reason (maybe because its my Facebook email) were going to my Yahoo account that I never ever check. I could have cried. I don't even know how many I had won because after the first page of emails I deleted them because it was so discouraging. I did email a few of the more recent wins and see if it was too late. Thankfully one of them (bless her heart) still let me claim my win :). Then I spent the day fixing dinner and entering more giveaways. The night ended on a good note because I got the email saying I could still have the one win and also I got another email that I had won on another blog :). We had a good holiday although I was sure my daughter was going to get foundered on pot roast lol.

Here are my wins

Brys Edgewood Cakemaking kits from Pizzazzerie Entertain in Style- this is the one that let me claim my win after it was due. (What a sweet woman)

Robby Wash from Deal Sharing Aunt- I can't wait to try this out. It sounds awesome. No more detergent for a while. This is the one that I won today.

Here is what I fixed for dinner today.

Pot roast with carrots- my daughter is a fanatic for pot roast and we aren't corned beef fans.  Just threw a roast in the crock pot with some carrots.
Green mashed potatoes- I didn't check and was out of fresh herbs so I blended a few baby spinach leaves, ground parsley, butter and milk in the mixer. I used that as the milk in the potatoes. They turned a lovely pale green, not sure how well you can tell in the pictures. But at least it was natural and not the dyes from food coloring.
Green Beans- just out of a can but simmered in broth from the roast for a bit.
Rolls- store bought
Green punch- mixed lime sherbert with Sprite.
Lime Chiffon Pie-stir 8 oz Cool Whip, 6 oz lime yogurt and small box of lime Jello in a bowl and add to a graham cracker crust.  Chill 3 hours (you can use all sugar free low fat for less calories. Normally I do and no one can taste a difference.  I make this is a wide variety of flavors. Just match the yogurt to the Jello. I have used orange, strawberry or whatever. You can also just make the mix and chill in a bowl without the crust and its just as good for way less calories. This is such a versatile recipe and everyone always loves it. Its fast and easy. )

 

 

  

Cucumber hint

     Here is a tip I found online and proved to be true this month. We bought some cucumbers on Feb 7th and I just ate the last one tonight and it was still just good as when we bought it. It wasn't mushy, had no bad spots, was crisp.  What you do is wrap each individual cucumber in a paper towel or  2 if thats what it takes to wrap it. Then after wrapping all the cucumbers individual put them in a plastic bag (store bag) and put them in the frig. I was amazed how well it worked. I have bought cucumbers and got them home and within 2 days they were bad and had to be thrown out. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it so you could see how fresh it stayed.

March 1st

IN LIKE A LION

Well today is March 1st.  Growing up in school I remember we always were taught that if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb or vice versa. Its cold and snowy here in southern WV today so I am going with it being a lion, so hopefully we are seeing the end of winter and March will go out like a lamb :) So far my March is going great since I got an email that I won from Shawn Ann's World.  I won Adora Calcium Supplements, I can't wait to try them out. I love chocolate and these are good for me.  Thats my second win of this year. A good start to a month I am dreading. I used to love March, it was my second favorite month because all the flowers start to bloom and the trees bud. Now my mind is constantly screaming thinking that this month will make 1 horrible dreadful year since my brother's accident :(.

I just heard from Kathi Macias  that today is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day and National Pig Day so here is a recipe I found to celebrate with.  This isn't what we are having since I was unaware of the holiday.

Peanut Butter Glazed Ham from Paula Deen  If you want to combine the 2 flavors in once dish :)  I love ham about any way you fix it but I haven't ever thought of combining it with peanut butter. I do like peanut chicken though so it might be good.



This probably will already be gone by the time you read this but I got one.   A free Fiji Straw , its available to the first 2000. Not sure why its special straw but I shall see.

Odds and Ends for the Last Day of February

Great news, I ordered the engine for my car this morning. It should be here by Monday or Tuesday they said. I also found a friend who I know is great with cars and he agreed to put it in for 350. I am so glad. God is so good. Thought I would post some of the stuff I did today online.

Facebook

Sample of Alma Legend Billion Hair Potion.  this is a Facebook Sample

Win an electric tiller-  I want to plant a garden this year so this would be great. Also a Facebook page

Canyon Casserole- This is one of my favorite cooking sites and this recipe sounds great. I plan to make it tomorrow night for dinner.

Couple of recipes

Since I have so much free time not being on Facebook, I have been wasting time on Pinterest :). I have been trying some of the recipes and just collecting information. So I thought I would share my results. One recipe is edible and one is a toiletry item. I have been trying to use more natural products around the house for cleaning and personal care. I just got paid for a survey I did and used my earnings to order me some more lavender eo and oregano oil online.


Crock Pot Lasagna - I wish I would have gotten to take pictures but I made the lasagna, it got done and I tried a little bowl and then went to bed. I woke up and my daughter and her boyfriend (mostly him) had eaten the entire crock pot full so I would so this was a good recipe :).

20 0z spaghetti sauce ( I semi homemade make my own)
9-12 noodles
32 0z cottage cheese
1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese

I already had the sauce made and in the freezer so I just thawed it. I mixed the cheeses in a bowl. I broke the noodles up into about 2 inch squares. I layered sauce, noodles, cheese finishing with noodles on top then poured some sauce on it to cook in. I cooked it on low and it was done in a just about 3 hours. It wasn't as pretty with the layers as oven lasagna but it tasted the same. We currently have no oven due to remodeling the kitchen and so this was a good substitute but honestly if I had an oven I would prefer it in the oven so it would be better layered.



Home made deodorant- background story is that about 15 yrs ago I had a horrible reaction to store bought deodorant. Up till that time I just used whatever I had a coupon for. I don't know what caused it, if it was the deodorant, or something else in my life but all the skin on my arm pits became a painful raw mess. It was summer and sweat was horrible. It took months to heal, I had to walk around with my arms up most of the time. I had no insurance so couldn't go to a dr. When it finally healed I used those crystal deodorants but they didn't help with odor. Finally I tried Dove simply because it was hypoallergenic. And for all these years thats all I would use. I was afraid to try anything else. Trust me not a repeatable experience. I have been seeing all sorts of recipes on pinterest on how to make your own. All the recipes are basically alike so here is what I finally mixed together. I have used this for a week now and its awesome, no underarm odor even the next day. No sweating problems. Not sure how it will be this summer but so far loving it and best of all no reaction.


1/4 c baking soda
1/4 c cornstarch (next time I plan to try arrowroot because its even better for your skin but I had cornstarch in the house)
4 tbsp coconut oil
5 drops lavender oil (this is one of my favorite healing herbs)

I mixed the baking soda and the cornstarch until it looked blended, then I used a fork to mix in the coconut oil. Finally I added the lavender oil and mixed it all up. Mine ended up about like a salve consistency. Its solid but when you run your fingers in it there is an oil feel but you can also feel the dryness of the powder ingredients. I just get a little bit on the fingers and use it that way. Like I said, I have had complete coverage so far. No odor by nightfall or the next morning nor a sweating problem. I really like it and plan to make again. My next batch is going to also include a few drops of oregano oil.

This is how it ended up looking, I used an old butter bowl to store it in ;)

Another thing I tried this past week was the detox bath. Everyone keeps talking about how wonderful they are. I have had a terrible backache for 2 weeks now, not sure whats causing it as the pain comes and goes. I do know its a muscle pain though and not my kidneys. So anyway I thought I would give this a try. It was awesome. I was able to get out the tub and sleep for the first time in ages. Before I was in so much pain I couldn't sleep because every time I moved I cried.

2 cups epsom salts
2 cups baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger


I added everything to a tub of hot water, I also dipped a really thin towel in the tub and put in my back like a super hero cape :). Then I just soaked for about 20-30 minutes. Honestly I don't know how detoxed I was but I felt pretty good so thats all that counted. I will be repeating this at least once a week.

A couple Pinterest Recipe I tried

I am always pinning so yesterday I decided to try a couple of the recipes to see if we liked them.  They turned out really well and will be repeat recipes with some adjustments. My adjustments are in red

 Outback Steakhouse Chicken (I got the recipe off Pinterest, the link on pinterest just went to another blogger who posted the recipe and gave a link to the main page of the blog it was supposed to come from. I went through weeks of posts but got tired of it. I hate not giving credit to the actual person but just couldn't find it on the blog it was supposed to come from. ) Awesome flavor and the honey mustard came through without being too much.

    4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
    Lowry's Seasoning Salt
    6 bacon slices
    1/4 cup regular mustard (I used Koop's Honey Mustard instead of the mustard, honey and mayo)
    1/3 cup honey (I find Koops at the Dollar Tree for just a dollar and its wonderful)
    2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
    2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
    1 cup sliced fresh mushroom (We don't eat mushrooms so left this out)
    2 cup shredded Colby/Jack cheese

First, Sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp.  Remove bacon and set aside.  (Next time I won't cook the bacon, it got hard since you cook it for another 30 minutes, I will use it raw)
Saute chicken in the bacon grease for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned.  Place chicken in a 9" × 13" casserole dish or pan.
To make the Honey Mustard:  In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise and dried onion flakes. 
Spread some of the Honey Mustard over each piece of chicken, then layer with mushrooms, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese.
Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done.
Serve with the left over Honey Mustard Sauce.

source: http://debrapate.blogspot.com






Creamed Corn Casserole - A wonderful lady from church makes a corn casserole that I love more than anything else at the dinners. I would gladly just eat that instead of dessert even. She gave me her recipe but she is a guesstimater and doesn't use exact measurements so I never got it right. I tried and tried. I saw this recipe on pinterest and it had most of the same ingredients so I decided to try it. It was pretty close and I think with the changes I plan it will be about right. It was a little too corny and sweet. Plus my pan really was too small and I should have either used a bigger pan or only poured half. It took forever to get done and was slightly curdled but not bad. After I make it next time with less corn I may need to adjust the milk and eggs also but for now I will wait and see.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

    1 can corn, drained  (I will leave this out, I think the one can of creamed will be enough)
    1 can creamed corn
    4 tablespoons flour
    4 tablespoons sugar (going to try only 2 tablespoons to see if that cuts the sweetness some)
    1 stick of butter, melted
    1 cup milk
    2 eggs, well beaten
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    pepper to taste (left out since its a sweet custard type dish)

Instructions:

    Mix all of the ingredients together -- it doesn't really matter what order. This is simplicity at its best!
    Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
    This recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled, but you may need to increase the baking time accordingly

http://unsophisticook.com/creamed-corn-casserole/

Tribute to the King of Rock and Roll

35 years ago today, I was swinging in the backyard in the sunshine and the radio was in the kitchen window. The announcer came on and said he had just gotten word that the King of Rock and Roll had been found dead at his home in Memphis Tn. I was 9 years old and my heart broke. I remember crying and crying. Growing up you could watch Elvis all the time on tv, they were always playing his movies. Now you can't hardly see one except on August 16th and January 8th.  One of his favorite foods was a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. I usually eat it every year on this day.

Ingredients

• 2 slices white bread
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small ripe banana
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Directions

Place 2 pieces of white bread in the toaster on a light setting. Heat skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons butter. While the bread is toasting, in a small bowl, using a fork mash the ripe banana until it reaches a smooth consistency. Using a knife, take both pieces of the toasted bread and spread 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, topping 1 side with the mashed banana. Place 1 slice of bread on top of the other forming a sandwich. Place sandwich in hot skillet browning each side, flipping with a spatual, about 2 minutes per side. Take out of skillet, slice on a diagonal and serve on a plate.

Here are a few of my very favorite Elvis songs

Most people don't associate Elvis with gospel but thats where he started and he always remember his roots.


I just love this song.


This is probably my favorite of all his songs.


This one shows why he was known as Elvis the Pelvis


For some reason this one always caught me and I have sang it to my daughter for years.