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Menu Plan Monday for November 10

November 11, 2008 2 Comments

It’s been kind of a long day around here, so I’ll be brief. Due to changes in plans, I’ve moved one of my meals from last week to this week, so if you notice a repeat that is the reason for it. My husband also put in a special request for poulet. This recipe has become an instant favorite of ours. We’ve totally fallen in love with it, and I think it’s going to be *regular* recipe in our house, so as long as I do MPM posts you are sure to see it again. Hope you all have an excellent week!

Breakfasts – cereal, cinnamon-sugar biscuits, oatmeal

Lunches – tuna sandwiches, grilled cheese, chicken noodle soup, leftovers from dinner

Dinners
Monday – Lemon Pepper Pork Chops w/ Creamy Chicken Flavored Rice
Tuesday – Chili Chicken Pasta Topper
Wednesday – hamburgers & fries
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Chicken Poulet
Saturday – leftovers

Sunday – Chili

Come join the fun of MPM at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

-Jerri

Filed Under: menu plan Monday

Recipe of the Week: Unbaked Caramel Cookie Bars

November 8, 2008 Leave a Comment


Here’s a recipe that’s kind of fall-ish. This comes from my grandmother’s old cookbook. The original recipe doesn’t include sugar, but as my grandmother wrote it into the recipe, that’s how I made it too. And after trying it with the sugar, I can’t imagine how it could be any better without it.

It kind of reminds me of Harry Potter using the “Half Blood Prince’s” instructions that are written in the margin, rather than the textbook instructions, and getting a much better result. (except I’m not a wizard, and I’m making cookies rather than potions, and well…nevermind)

Anyway, this is a great recipe if you’re looking for something rich, sweet, and gooey. It’s extremely easy to make and a great treat that you can make at the last minute, so it’s perfect for a holiday party or just a quick snack at home.


Unbaked Caramel Cookie Bars
3/4 cup margarine
1 small can evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 4 oz package of instant butterscotch pudding
3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

Bring margarine and milk to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add pudding mix, sugar, and oats. Mix together thoroughly. Cool about 10 minutes. Then press into an 11X7 or 9X13in pan, or use a teaspoon and drop cookies onto wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator or freezer.



-Jerri


Filed Under: cookies and candy, desserts, Recipe of the Week

The Best of Simply Sweet Home

November 5, 2008 5 Comments

Now that the site has been around for a year, I can now do “flash back” or “best of” posts. This is great! It’s fun to revisit my old posts, and it also gives me a chance to highlight these posts for new readers to take a look at for the first time.

I’m going to try to do this about once a month, and each month I’ll pick about 4 to 10 links to post up. And of course, I’ll try to pick the most relevant, interesting, and popular posts to highlight.

As with any other post I would write, if you try the links any of them are wrong, I ask you to email me (jhrivers@gmail.com or simplysweethome@hotmail.com) or leave me a comment to let me know, so that I can correct the problems. Thanks!

Recipes:
Easy Pecan Pie
Marshmallow Pilgrim Hat Cookies

Housekeeping:
Making Your Battle Plan for a Clean Home
The Importance of Cleaning Up Fall Leaves
Top 5 Things to Clean Before Your Holiday Party

Holidays
12 Tips & Shortcuts for Your Holiday Party
An Inviting Thanksgiving Craft

Saving Money
Use Your Windows to Help You Save Money

Hope you’re all having a good week!

-Jerri


Filed Under: Best Posts

Help the Troops this Election Day

November 4, 2008 1 Comment

On this election day, I’ve chosen to write a post about a non-partisan cause that anyone and everyone can get behind. With all the campaign rhetoric and the talk of the “economic crisis” we seem to have forgotten that our soldiers have been fighting for our freedom overseas, and since Veteran’s Day is coming up, as well as the holiday season, I think it’s a perfect time to highlight some charitable organizations that help our men and women overseas.

So for today’s post I’d like to tell you about the 2008 Thanksgiving Thank You Project. This is a project to help our wounded veterans. All you have to do is visit the website and put your name & other information in the form to send a Thank You/Get Well card to a wounded Veteran. You also have the option of writing a personal message to the veteran. This only takes a minute or two of your time, and it will give the card a much more personal sentiment. You also have an option of giving a donation to the wounded veterans, but this is not required. Please take a moment to go here and send a card to our wounded troops. It’s the least we can do for our wounded vets.

I also encourage you to take a look at Operation Homefront. This organization does a lot to help military members and their families. They provide assistance in emergencies and they provide financial assistance, furniture & appliances, baby items, car donations/repairs, and other items and services for those in need. Their organization also has adopt-a-family opportunities & programs to send holiday gift baskets to military families. You can also visit Ecarepackage, which is a part of Operation Homefront. At this website you can learn about how you can sponsor a military member or family.

Also, check out The Wounded Warrior Project, which works to raise awareness of the needs of severely wounded vets and works to provide aid and services to these vets.

Hope you’re all having a good election day, and I hope you all consider giving to one of these great charities this holiday season. Thanks!

Filed Under: Causes/Charities, Misc Holidays, Patriotic

Menu Plan Monday for November 3

November 2, 2008 Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe it’s November already. The months and years just keep going by faster and faster. It doesn’t even seem possible that Thanksgiving is only 3 1/2 weeks away, which means Christmas is just around the corner. Whew! If only we could just stop time for a little while so that I could catch up!

Well, I hope you all had a fun Halloween. Ours was pretty uneventful (in a good way). We only had around 20 trick or treaters. I wish we could have seen more kids in costume. But at least we have a steady supply of candy bars leftover. (Disposing of them will be a tough job, but I’m sure we can handle it.)

But unfortunately we can’t just sit around eating candy and junk all the time. so without further ado, here is this week’s menu:

Breakfasts – oatmeal, cereal, biscuits & gravy

Lunches – ham/turkey sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, dinner leftovers

Dinners
Monday – Lasagna
Tuesday – Beef stew
Wednesday – Beef stew
Thursday – Roast Beef & gravy, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas
Friday – Chili Chicken Pasta Topper (new recipe)
Saturday – eat out
Sunday – leftover night

Filed Under: menu plan Monday

My Fall Decorations & Happy Halloween

October 30, 2008 6 Comments

We got the house all decorated for Halloween/Thanksgiving. I was very happy with the way everything looked. I used the 2 scarecrows/leaves/pumpkins I bought last year. (see last years post on fall decor tips here.) I also added 3 more scarecrows, a couple more pumpkins, a wreath, and some potted chrysanthemums. And I have an electric jack-o-lantern to put out on Halloween night.

Oddly enough, it was my husband that actually suggested that we get more scarecrows so we’d have one for each post. I had no idea how festive he could be. But when we got the scarecrows home, we realized that we actually needed one more, but we may just wait till next year for that.

I also have to brag on my husband again, not only for helping put up all the decorations but for coming up with the idea of how we were going to stand the scarecrows up against the porch posts without them falling down. (Bungee cords/tie downs. They work brilliantly, and the colors of them blend in well. From a distance you can’t even see them. And up close, it just looks like the scarecrows have a belt on.)

And finally, I have to ask that you please excuse the look of the actual porch. The previous owners painted the concrete a few times, and we still fix it, and we also have to install some new rails and paint the shutters. I told my husband laughingly, “The porch rails are missing, and the concrete looks terrible, but we have scare crows!” lol. Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Immediate right of walkway/step. Behind this scarecrow, you can see the new wreath we got, a small scarecrow and string of leaves on the window.

Immediately to the left of the walkway/step.

Front of the house. I wanted to get the whole house in the picture, but then you can’t see the scarecrows as good.

This green one is my favorite for some reason.

Happy Halloween!

Filed Under: decorating, fall, Halloween

Tea Cakes for Halloween

October 28, 2008 3 Comments

A while back I purchased a huge set of cookie cutters, but with all the chaos of moving and everything else, I had not yet gotten the chance to use them. With Halloween upon us, I felt it was the perfect time to try them out.

When I was a kid it was always a big treat whenever we got to make tea cakes. At my house we only made them occasionally, so I probably would have forgotten about them entirely, except that my grandma used to make them too, and I also remember going over to my aunt’s house and “helping” her make them.

The only problem is that I didn’t have “the” recipe for them, and so I found myself perusing cookbooks and trying to decide which one of the half dozen recipes I wanted to try. The recipe I tried turned out pretty well. The taste and the texture are slightly different from what I remember, but all-in-all, it’s a pretty good cookie. (However, if I try another recipe in the future and it turns out better, I’ll be posting it too!)

To give them a bit of festive, Halloween styling, I cut them out in the shapes of pumpking, ghosts, and cats. And for fun, I decorated some of them using chocolate chips. It was tempted to go all out and put a bunch of sprinkles or icing on them too, but I think these taste better without all that extra stuff.

Tea Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup water or milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Cream sugar, margarine, shortening, water or milk. Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Add flour a little a time until completely mixed in. Roll onto floured pastry sheet. Cut with cookie cutter and bake on greased cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 8 to minutes. (similar recipes also say 350 for 10-15 minutes) Note: This recipe makes around 2 dozen cookies, give or take a few, depending upon what size cutters you use.



Filed Under: cookies and candy, desserts, fall, Halloween

Menu Plan Monday for October 27

October 26, 2008 Leave a Comment

MPM again. Our computers were down for a few days this past week, preventing me from doing any posting until Friday. And even though we’re back online, the connection is a little slow. If it doesn’t get any better in the next day or so, I’ll be asking my husband to “call the man” (to quote Andy Griffith). But I have to admit, a “slow” high speed connection is better than no connection at all. But hopefully we can get it all figured out, and this week will be a lot better!

Breakfast – bacon & eggs, biscuits, cereal, chocolate chip muffins

Lunch – ham sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, dinner leftovers

Dinners:
Monday – Beef ribs, macaroni & cheese, deviled eggs
Tuesday – Lemon Peppered Chicken, chicken-flavored rice, corn-on-the-cob
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Chili Pies
Friday – Pizza
Saturday – chicken fingers & fries
Sunday – Lasagna, garlic bread, salad

For more information on MPM, visit I’m an Organzing Junkie.

Filed Under: menu plan Monday

Halloween Treats That Will Leave Them Screaming for More

October 24, 2008 1 Comment

Here’s another links & pics post. This week I’ve looked up some “witchy” desserts to post for Halloween. If you’re looking for a Halloween party dessert or just something fun to fix for your family, you’re sure to find something here. I think I’ve pretty much covered all the bases so that there’s something for everybody, from the simple to the more complex recipes, from a little bit of sweetness to the decidantly rich. And if you don’t like these, there are a lot more choices on the sites where I found these.

Don’t you all just love looking at all the fun ideas out there? My hat goes off to all the people that actually come up with these projects. I just wish I had the time (& money for all the ingredients) to try them all. But I’m sure in the future, after we have our kids, I’ll get the chance to try just a few at least.

Jack-o-Lantern Cake – This is one of my favorites out of all the desserts I looked at. It’s just lovely and very professional looking!

Ghost Cupcakes – I just had to post these up because I honestly wouldn’t have known they were cupcakes if they had not been labeled as such.

Halloween Pumpkin Bars – I’m not a fan of pumpkin myself, but I thought these were cute, not to mention very simple. And I suppose, if you’re like me and aren’t exactly a pumpkin fan either, you could use this same concept with brownies or some other kind of cake/bar.

Scarecrow Cake – Similar to the Jack-o-lantern cake, the decorations on this scarecrow cake are waffle cones and fruit roll ups. Very cute! And this one will be a great Thanksgiving cake as well. Or if you know any Wizard of Oz Fans (my nephew loves the scarecrow!) this would be a cute birthday cake too!

Scarecrow & Spider Cupcakes – I thought these cupcakes were very funny looking & they’re pretty easy to decorate too.


Mini Pumpkin Spice Cakes – I’d say these are a little more “adult” but it’s very pretty and festive looking! Could be great to serve at a party or family gathering or to take to work.

Chocolate Chip Werewolf Cookies – I think it’s safe to say that all the kids will love these. These very elaborately decorated werewolf cookies are actually very easy to make and decorate with assorted candies.

Related Posts: Great Snacks for Halloween, Sweet Treats for Day of the Dead, Simply Sweet Recipe – Spider Cupcakes, Candy Apples: Photos & Links

Filed Under: cupcakes, desserts, fall, Halloween

Menu Plan Monday for October 20

October 19, 2008 6 Comments

Breakfasts: cereals, oatmeal, ham & cheese scramble

Lunches: ham & cheese sandwiches, leftovers from dinner

Dinners:
Monday – Chicken Poulet served with beans/vegetables (this recipe feeds us for 3 meals)
Tuesday – leftover poulet
Wednesday – Cheeseburger Macaroni
Thursday – leftover poulet again
Friday – Easy Chicken Pot Pie (recipe below)
Saturday – Eating out
Sunday – Pork chop sandwiches w/ fries

Recipe for Easy Chicken Pot Pie
3-4 chicken breasts, (boneless, boiled and shredded) (or use 2 cans boneless chicken)
1 can Veg All, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. chicken broth from chicken
1 c. milk
1 c. Bisquick mix
Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Mix chicken, broth, veg-all, and soup together and pour into dish. Mix Bisquick with milk and pour over mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

Not sure what to do make for dinner this week? Get some ideas at I’m An Organizing Junkie.


Filed Under: casseroles and quick meals, menu plan Monday, recipes
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