Campbell's Green Bean Casserole!

     Green bean casserole is my absolute favorite holiday food!  So I thought I would put the recipe up just in case there is someone out there who has yet to try it!

INGREDIENTS
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 cups cooked cut green beans
2 2/3 cups French's french fried onions

MAKE IT
1. Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in 3-qt casserole dish.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir bean mixture. Sprinkle with remaining onions.
3. Bake 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

Savory Herb Rub Roasted Turkey!



     This year I decided I would try a new recipe for Christmas dinner and I am so glad that I did.  I found this recipe in Parent's Magazine by McCormick.  The recipe was very easy!  I'm sure the rub would be good on other meats as well!

INGREDIENTS

1 whole turkey 12 to 14 lbs. ( we used a 10 lb turkey), fresh or frozen, thawed.

1 tbsp. vegetable oil (i like to use olive oil)

2 tbsp McCormick Rubbed Sage

1 tbsp McCormick Paprika

1 tbsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt

2 tsp McCormick Garlic Powder

1 tsp McCormick Ground Black Pepper

3/4 tsp McCormick Ground Nutmeg

1 large onion, cut into wedges

6 McCormick Bay Leaves

(i added some lemon wedges)

MAKE IT

1.  Place turkey on rack in roasting pan. Brush with oil. Mix seasonings. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the seasonings inside the turkey. Spread remaining seasonings over entire surface and under skin of turkey. Place onion and bay leaves inside turkey. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan. Cover loosely with heavy-duty foil.  (i used a turkey bag so i skipped the water and foil steps).

2. Roast in preheated 325 degree F oven for 1 hour. Remove foil. Roast 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer or until internal temperature reach 165 F (175 in thigh), basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove turkey from oven. Let stand 20 minutes. Reserve pan juices to make gravy.

Snickerdoodles!

     This year for Santa I decided I was not going to make sugar cookies because they just get so messy and with the babies I really didn't feel like having frosting everywhere when they would eat them so I was looking for a less messy but still very yummy cookie to make.  I decided I would make snickerdoodles...I had never made them before.  I tried a different snickerdoodle recipe right before this one and it was horrible...I threw away the batter and searched for a different one.  I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and I love it!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar (topping)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (topping)


MAKE IT
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups white sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well.
3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Blend well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Nutella Hot Chocolate!

     Okay so I am a total nutella addict and when I saw posts about nutella hot chocolate I just had to try it!  I'm not really sure why I love nutella so much but after I had the twins I craved it!  This is so easy to make all you need is some nutella and milk.  This recipe came from food.com!


INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons nutella
1 1/3 cup milk

MAKE IT
1. Put nutella and 1/3 cup of milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk until blended.
3. Add remaining milk, increase heat to medium-high,  and whisk until hot and frothy.

Crocheted Snowflake!

     Its been a few days since my last post, we have all been sick in my house....oh joy!  Today's post is about these beautiful crocheted snowflake.  It looks so pretty hanging in my window!  It doesn't take very much time to crochet one of these, the longest part is pinning it down to harden it! My son really likes to watch me put the glitter on! I found a video on YouTube from all free crochet on how to make these!  The pattern is from Deborah Atkinson. 

Bath Toy Bag!

     I found a great tutorial on Make It and Love It on how to make a bath toy bag....why didn't I ever think of this before?  Of course mine didn't turn out as cute as hers did but she used  more heavy duty mesh than I did.  The only fabric store we have here is walmart and they have a very small selection of fabric...otherwise I could drive an hour to Savannah.  So instead I just used some of my husbands mosquito netting he had on his last deployment to Afghanistan that was just sitting in our storage shed.  It worked great, its a little more flimsy than what the tutorial says to use but hey it was free!  Of course walmart is all out of suction cup hooks, just my luck but they ordered them so hopefully soon I will be able to get my hands on a pair! I hope that you click the link and try to make one too!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken!

     I think I am in love with this chicken haha! It is so easy to make and only calls for 4 ingredients.  This is a Hellmann's recipe I got from my mom!  when made this i used more bread crumbs than it called for because I wanted to make sure my chicken was coated, also it took about twice as long to cook in my oven.....but then again I have such and old in the wall oven that doesn't even have one digital thing on it.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Hellmanns Real Mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 chicken breast halves

4 Tsp. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

MAKE IT

1. Combine Hellmann's with cheese. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Top with mayonnaise mixture.     Sprinkle with the bread crumbs.

2. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

Ham and Cheese Baked Ziti!

     If you or someone in your house is a mac and cheese lover then this recipe is so for you!  I love it and so do my kids!  It has such a good flavor and the large ziti noodles make it more fun than regular mac and cheese from a box! This is a Betty Crocker recipe I got from my friend Jianette's blog http://mommy2damacs.blogspot.com/2011/10/kid-approved-dinner.html




INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups uncooked ziti pasta (9 ounces)
1/4 butter or margarine
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 cups shredded colby cheese
4 ounces sliced cooked deli ham, cut into thin strips
1/3 cup grated parmesean cheese

MAKE IT
1. Heat over to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. While past is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in mustard and colby cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
3. Stir pasta and ham into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Microwave Coffee Cup Scramble!

     I know this is a super easy one and I'm sure most of you have made this in one way or another but this seems like all I have time to make lately so I'm going to do a post about it!  The sky is the limit with this one and its very easy to make it your own; add bacon bits, cheese, onion, hot sauce, sour cream, salsa, ketchup, sausage, etc. The recipe originally comes from incredibleegg.org....if you love eggs they have tons of great  recipes for you!

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk or water
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
cheese (or whatever other ingredients you would like to add)

MAKE IT
1. Spray inside of your coffee cup with cooking spray. Scramble 2 eggs and pour into your cup (you can add your cheese or other ingredients before you cook it or you can put in on top when its done cooking).
2. Place in your microwave and cook for 1-2 minutes. Salt and Pepper to taste. Top with your favorite toppings!

Holiday Pretzels!

     These are a fun baking project you can do with your kids or just by yourself!  I didn't have any of the windowpane/checkerboard pretzels on hand so I just use regular pretzels and broke them into smaller pieces! They look much cuter if you use the checkerboard ones but who cares they still taste just as yummy! This recipe came from food.com!

INGREDIENTS
windowpane/checkerboard
bag of plain m&m candies (use the holiday ones if you care about them being more festive!)
a bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses or Hershey's hugs chocolates

MAKE IT
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Place pretzels on baking sheet and place a Hershey's kiss on top. Put in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Immediately after removing from the oven place an m&m in the center.
3. Place cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes for the chocolate to set!

Dijon-Tarragon Cream Chicken!

  I love love love this chicken recipe! My friend Rebecca made it for me once and it was so delicious I just had to have the recipe! The recipe comes from allrecipes.com!  It calls for fresh tarragon but I used the dried tarragon leaves from McCormick and I think it turns out just fine!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

MAKE IT
1. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in  the skillet. Brown on both sides. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking for 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Stir cream into the pan, scraping up brown bits. Mix in mustard, and tarragon. Cook and stir 5 minutes, or until thickened. Return chicken to skillet to coat with sauce. Drizzle chicken with remaining sauce to serve.

Puff Stitch Scarf!

     I have been trying to learn how to crochet for about 5 years now and just never got it for some reason....probably because I just didn't have the patience to sit down long enough with it haha.  I really wanted to make myself something and so I was googling different kinds of crocheted scarf patterns when I came across this video for the puff stitch scarf by the Art Of Crochet By Teresa.  This scarf is my first crocheted item I have ever made, its not perfect but I still love it!  It is 56 rows long and I added some fringe on the end.  Below is the video explaining how to make it! It took me many tries before I got my puff stitch just right but after I figured it out it became a lot easier!

    

Chicken & Biscuits!

     This is a Kraft foods recipe I got from my cousin Sara and it just happens to be one of my husbands favorite casseroles!  I like to add different kinds of veggies to it every time, this particular one i added some broccoli too besides just the mixed vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

1 can [10 3/4 oz] condensed cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup sour cream

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 pkg. [16 oz] frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

1 cup baking mix ( i like to use the aunt jemima buttermilk pancake mix)

3 Tbsp milk

MAKE IT

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix soup and 1/2 cup of sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Add chicken, vegetables and cheese; mix.

2. Place baking mix in medium bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and milk; stir until stiff dough forms.

3. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Fantastic Flubber!

    
     This is a recipe to make flubber, it is a great sensory activity to do with your kids and they will love it! I myself even enjoy playing with it!  I got this recipe from Auntie Carolyn in Hawaii, she was Zaiah's playmorning teacher....oh how we miss her! Flubber is great, it stays together and doesn't crumble like play-dough sometimes does.  It feels cold and slimy but it isn't sticky! I hope that you guys try this one out!!!


INGREDIENTS
2 cups glue
1 1/2 cups water

1tsp borax detergent
1/3 cup water

MAKE IT
1. Mix the 2 cups of glue and the 1 1/2 cups of water together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup water and 1 tsp of borax detergent. Pour borax mixtures into the glue/water mixture and stir.  Reach your hand in and take a ball of flubber out of the bowl and place it on the counter or table.
2. Make the borax mixture again (1/3 cup water and 1tsp borax) and pour into remaining glue/water. Stir and repeat until the glue/water mixture is gone. Knead all the excess water or and store in an air tight container or zip lock bag. Does not need to be refrigerated.


OPTIONAL: you can add food coloring to make it whatever color you desire!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent!

     This is a super simple and easy way to make your own dishwasher detergent without having to spend a lot of money!  I got the recipe for this from dollarstoremom.com and on there she tells you how using this instead of the cheaper store brands saves you money. According to her math she tells you that the Costco brand costs you 16 cents per load and this only costs you 4 cents! I know its not a whole lot of money but hey every little bit of savings helps! I have been using homemade dishwasher detergent for a few months now and I love it!

     To make this just take 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and mix them together! That's all it is!!!!  Use 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your dishwasher and one drop of dish soap and you are ready to go!  If you find that your dishes are coming out cloudy just add a little bit of vinegar to your pre-wash cup and that should clear that up! 

     If you have hard water they suggest you had about a half a cup of kosher salt to your mixture and even suggest trying citric acid.  Here is the link to the site that I found this on! http://dollarstoremom.com/2011/04/make-dishwashing-detergent/