Making the best of my leftover Halloween candy

Guest post written by Lesley Horton

I really love Halloween and it always makes me so sad when it's finally over in November. But i always make a point to buy a whole bunch of candy when I buy my Halloween candy so that I'll have lots and lots of it left over to cook and bake with afterward. I know that you can buy candy most of the time during the year but it's just so much cooler to buy special edition Halloween candy.

I really love going online with my wireless internet Corpus Christi to find all kinds of new recipes for me to fix. A lot of the time I even get my kids in on the fun because they love to get their hands dirty in the kitchen for some delicious results.

But my favorite kind of leftover Halloween candy recipe is to just toss about any kind of candy into a simple cookie recipe. There really is nothing to my recipe that I use all the time for it. But there's just something so simple and delicious about these cookies!

Holiday Cooking

Bahh Humbug!!!  Holidays are not for kids, they are for the grown up's who only get to eat sweets til they drop this time of year.  Diets and eating right goes right out the window when the food starts to cook!!  On the request board this year is for me to try to make my Mom's famous Banana Pudding!!! Yeah, Okay!!!  I haven't made it in years.  I think Mama was in the kitchen with me and coaching me along as she was making one of her other sweet treats.  From Thanksgiving through the first of the year our kitchen had the best smell and the sweet treats and the good food was on the stove 24/7.

She loved to watch people enjoy the food she made.  Trust me, there was always a house full for her to watch!!   My Dad's always said it was a tight race between the banana pudding and her fried apple pies!  I can remember one Christmas when my oldest was small he and Daddy slipped around and got coffee and milk and took the whole plate with the apple pies on it to the back porch.  Daddy had them a little place to stay warm and they were having themselves a snack!  I sure do miss my folks, make you some memories this year.

Granny's Banana Pudding

1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. (heaping) flour
3 egg yolks
2 c. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 box vanilla wafers
3-5 bananas

Layer bananas, then wafers in oven proof medium bowl. In saucepan add sugar and egg yolks; mix well adding milk when needed. Add flour to egg mixture, then the rest of the milk; mix well. Add vanilla, stir constantly on medium heat until thick and smooth. Pour over wafers and bananas.Make topping from egg whites. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add 3 tablespoons sugar. Beat again. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat again. Lightly brown in oven.  Mama used mini marshmallows as a topping sometimes.  Just spread them over the top of the pudding and lightly brown them in the oven.

Thank You

I want to thank my readers for being so patient with me.  I have been trying to get settled in here at my son's house and at work.  Third shift a little different for me this go around.  I am finding out that it is taking my body longer to adjust and I need more sleep than I once did.  Working third, also fouls up my eating habits!  Breakfast isn't breakfast and dinner isn't dinner!  I have to make some changes so that I am still eating right for an aging woman.

I realize that as I get older my body needs different foods to stay healthy.  At 58 I can't eat the same things that I ate when I was 28.  I want to live long enough to see my grandchildren get through high school and maybe even college.  So let's take my recipe blog in a different direction.  I'm going to start doing some research on foods and recipes for us older folks and people who work third shift and see what I can come up with.

I hope you have a great day.  I am also going to work on my time manage skills so that I can do a better job of keeping up with my blogs. 

Husband's Football Obsession

Guest post written by Kevin Beach My husband is a football fanatic. I did not realize how much he was in love with football until we got married. He plans for fantasy football drafts weeks in advance. He will even do mock drafts in order to anticipate when players will be picked. I honestly do not think he could survive if we didn’t get NFL Sunday Ticket. He has to watch every single game available. He will flip channels to much during the football games that I worry the remote is going to break. I have never known anyone to be so involved. It has explained a lot about our dating life. I never thought about it, but we never did anything together on Sundays. He would always be busy or have to do work. The reality was he didn’t want me to see him like this. I have started to get used to it and to be honest it is growing on me. He is so involved in the games that he doesn’t notice what I am doing. I went to the mall and back last Sunday before he even knew I was gone. I am thinking this football obsession is going to be a good thing. .

Granny's Western Baked Beans With A Twist

3/4 lb. ground venison, browned and drained

3/4 lb. venison sausage, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped, brown with meat
3 tbsp. catsup 

1 can pork and beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can of Bush's Southwestern Grilling beans
4 tbsp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a covered casserole dish for 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees or bake until bubbly

I Apologize

I really do apologize for not keeping this blog more current.  I have been trying to find a decent job and get my finances back in order.  I know there is not really any excuse for keeping you guys coming to my blog and it not being updated.  Please hang in there with me for just a little longer and I promise I will get back in full swing. 

Meet The Bulldogs

This past Saturday night the school had a Meet the Bulldogs Covered Dish Supper.  I racked my brain for something to take and finally decided to take my Mom's Western Baked Beans.   They turned out awesome!  I made enough so the we would have some here as well.  Everyone seemed to like them a lot.  I even made sweet cornbread muffins to go with them.  It was funny.  I put a kitchen towel in a stainless bowl and put the muffins in it and wrapped them up to keep them warm.  Jingle Bells was carrying them for me, when she sat them on her head, I told her to be careful.  She said I got this MawMaw.  Yep, she had it alright, when she took them off her head the bowl turned upside down onto the pavement!!  Luckily I had them wrapped tight and they didn't even spill.  I really enjoyed meeting all the football players and their parents.

Salmon Patties

My daughter-in-laws salmon patties are a real hit around this place!  She makes them just like my mom, except my mom used jack mackerel instead of salmon.  They are very easy to make!

1 can of your choice of fish
1 egg
1 large spoon of flour
1/4 cup finely chopped onions

Combine these ingredients, then make patties the size of a small hamburger.  Place in a frying pan with a small amount of oil.   Cook until brown.  Enjoy!!

CURRIED VENISON FILIPINO STYLE

1 1/2 lb. cubed cut venison
2 med. chopped onions
2 c. coconut milk
1 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 c. beef stock
Salt and pepper

Use 2-quart pot. Heat oil. Saute onions until lightly brown. Add meat, stirring constantly until coated for 10 minutes. Add beef stock mixture. Bring to boil. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Add coconut milk mixture consisting of coconut milk and flour, curry powder stirring constantly until thickened.

Passing On

Authored by Leandro Delgado

My sweet little Labrador retriever that I’ve had for the past 10 years passed awaylast Saturday. That dog meant the world to me, and I cannot believe that she’s actually gone. Labs a lot of times will get bad hips, and then need to be put down. This is actually what happened to my Rosie.

I have to say, I don’t think it will be long before I get a new dog. I loved Rosie so much and want to respect her life by not going out the second she passes and get a new dog, but I think that I’m going to have to get one sooner rather than later. She was my buddy, and also made me feel safe about living alone.

Right before I had to put her down, I went to Securitychoice.COM/ to feel safe about living without a dog and without a roommate. I also used to love going on runs with her, so I feel like I’ll get another big dog. I miss my Rosie, but will honor her memory by naming my next dog the same thing.

Coming Soon

I am trying to convince my Anna to share her Venison Curry recipe with me so I can post it here.  It is so good!!  She is such a good cook and my family just loves her food.  She made rice cakes today for my grandson.  Of course we all ate some, but they were made for him.  He loves them!

Grilling Inside

My grandson is learning how to grill outside on my son's gas grill.  The other day his mom called and requested that I make venison meatloaf burgers and she wanted him to grill them for her.  He got all excited because she wanted him to grill for her, and when he went to lite the grill it was out of propane!!  Lucky for us we one of the large George Foreman grills in the cabinet!  I lived in an apartment a few years ago and I couldn't have an outdoor grill and I feel in love with my electric grill.   I love it because you can cook the bottom and the top at the same time.   It is quicker than cooking on the outside grill.


I just love to cook and one of the things that my grandkids request the most are my cakes.  Each one has their favorite.  I think that one reason that the cakes are special is that I always put them on my special cake plate and make a big deal out of serving them.  I recently broke my            cake stand and am in the process of look for a new one.  Since I have gotten my own computer, I can search the web for any specialty item that I need.   I haven't ordered one yet because I can't make up my mind on the one I want.


My Anna is from the Philippines and she is an awesome cook!! Our cabinets are full of spices!  She makes a venison curry that is just insanely good.  Since I live with them now I would like to help them in every way that I can.  She needs several spice racks badly.  I would love to find her something that would help her to organize her spices.  I think that is what I want to get her for Christmas.

Easy Venison Pot Pie

2 lb ground venison
1 lg can of mixed vegetables
1 can of tomatoes
1 med onion

Simmer mixed veggies and tomatoes while browning the venison.  After browning the venison pour it and veggies into a casserole dish.  If you want more gravy in the pie,  mix 1 large tablespoon of flour, and one large tablespoon of beef bullion with 3/4 cup water then heat in a skillet until boiling then pour over mixture and stir well.

Combine 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons of butter or shortening, enough milk or buttermilk to make a stiff dough then roll out a pie crust type topping and place over the casserole.  Bake on 400 until brown.

My crew really likes this I hope yours does too!   

Stir Fry and Rice

My daughter-in-law is a great cook, but she works a lot.  The days that she has to work late I sometimes make supper.  Last night I did a quick Stir Fry and Rice.  We had a steak left over from Sunday so I cut it up into small pieces and saute' it.  We had a bag of frozen stir fry veggies so I added those to my meat and let them cook for a few minutes til crisp tender.  She has a rice cooker and I made my first pot of rice!  It all turned out really good.  Since I like tomatoes and rice, I opened up a can of triple succotash to go with it.    You know me, I'm all about quick and easy, this meal was ready in 30 minutes.

Oven Fried Tomatoes

Yesterday, I made oven fried tomatoes and zucchini.  They were so good!  The kids and grandkids had never had them, and they loved them.  I used the oven fried veggie recipe it is easy and quick.  Then today we worked all day on the car so supper was really simple.  Grilled hot dogs, baked beans, and chips.  My son has a great grill, so it was easy for me and the kids to grill the dogs. 

Have a great night, this ole girl is off to bed! 

Palitaw

Since I have moved into my son's house his Filipino wife has introduced me to several wonderful dishes!  The Palitaw is one of my grandson's favorite!   You should have seen the expression on his face yesterday when he came home from football practice and caught her making them as a surprise for him.  His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree!!  They were so good I thought I would share her recipe with you.  I hope you like them as much as we do.

2 cups sweet rice flour (Mochiko)
1 3/4 to 2 cups cold water
1 cup grated mature coconut
1/4 cup granulated sugar
toasted sesame seeds
water

Procedure

In a bowl, pour water over sweet rice flour in 1/4 cup increments, all the while mixing both ingredients into a soft, yet, pliable dough. Using a wide spoon, portion dough into 12 and shape each into flat, oval disks.

Meanwhile, in a deep, wide pot, bring about 5 inches of water into a rolling boil. Gently and individually drop disks into the boiling water. Do not overcrowd pot. When disks float to surface, remove from water. Drain well. Place on a parchment-lined platter in a single layer. Cover and allow to cool enough to handle.

Roll cooked palitaw on a bed of grated coconut to fully coat.

In a pan, toast sesame seeds over low heat until fragrant, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and in a small bowl, combine with sugar. Dust sugar mixture over coated cakes or serve alongside.

Tip:
I used 2 cups of water to make my palitaw and the consistency of my dough proved a tad difficult to form into shape. The resulting cakes, however, came out “makunat” (chewy) which is just how I like my palitaw. I managed my shaping task by very lightly coating my hands with olive oil to prevent the dough from sticking.

The Boy Can Grill

My oldest son has picked up quite a reputation for cooking on the grill.   Everyone you talk to around here will tell you that if you are grilling you have to bring it to his house.  Sometimes there are three families here!  We gal's will fix all the veggies and every family brings there own meat.

I can't decide which is my favorite!  He makes the best ribs in town, they are fall off the bone good!  He cooks them on the stove for a while before putting them on the grill.  Then there is his barbecued chicken, my oh my!  My grandson says he likes the chicken best, but he sure can eat his share of ribs!

His wife and I have been looking for him a new grill and we can't decide which one to get him.  He says that there isn't anything wrong with his grill, but we think that since he sometimes cooks for so many that we would like to get him one of those big grills that we saw at www.canadapost.ca/shopper/barbeque-grills-gas-charcoal-/sc/405.  Humm, maybe for his birthday if he promises to keep grilling!!!

Seasoned Oven Fried Potato Wedges

This is the same recipe as for the oven backed veggies, and they are so good.  I love stuff that's simple and good.

8 lg potato's 
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 c. milk/you can add an egg to help the bread crumbs stick better

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dip potato's in milk and drop in baggy with bread crumbs. Shake to coat. Spread in single layer on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with your favorite cooking spray. Bake in oven 30 minutes or until soft and brown.

Great basic biscuits

Guest post written by Casey Mondell

I'm learning how to cook a lot more stuff this year as a New Year's resolution, because I can't live off of frozen vegetables and entrees forever. I'm working on building up a collection of good and simple recipes to use because any cookbooks that I look at just don't have all the things that I would want or need the recipes for. But one thing that I hadn't figured out how to make yet from scratch were biscuits. So I decided that would be my next goal for myself in this cooking quest.

I went to my greatest resource for recipes, the internet, with my www.wildbluedeals.com/ so that I could find a perfect biscuits recipe. I found all kinds of biscuits recipes, I had no clue there were so many different kinds! I even found one for cheddar garlic biscuits that I bookmarked while I was at it.

But then I remember that I was looking for a simple and basic biscuit recipe. While I was going through all these biscuit recipes, I did find one for easy DIY biscuits that seemed a whole lot simpler than the ones that my mom used to make, so I'm just going to rely on that on

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

6 summer squash (yellow, crookneck, zucchini or pattypan)
Boiling salted water
1 sm. onion, minced
2 tbsp.  butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
3 slices bacon or sausage  partially cooked

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off stems of squash and cook in about 1 inch of boiling, salted water until barely tender (8 to 10 minutes). Cool, and for pattypans, cut a circle on the top or cut other squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving shells about 1/4 inch thick.Cook onion in pan until tender but not browned. Add squash pulp, salt, pepper and crumbs. Mix well and spoon into squash shells. Arrange in a shallow baking dish and top with cheese. Cut bacon strips in halves and put a piece on top of each cheese topped squash. Bake 15 minutes or until browned.
Makes 6 servings.

Oven Fried Veggies

This recipe works with green tomatoes, zucchini, pattypan and yellow squash.

2 lbs. green tomatoes or any type squash, sliced
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 c. milk/you can add an egg to help the bread crumbs stick better

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dip squash in milk and drop in baggy with bread crumbs. Shake to coat. Spread in single layer on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with your favorite cooking spray. Bake in oven 8-12 minutes, turning once.

 

I sometimes slice my squash the length of the veggie. 

Pattypan Squash

I have a neighbor who farms and they also plant a nice garden every year.  They always share any extra with neighbors and folks at church.  This year they planted some pattypan squash.  I have never had any, so when they gave me a few today, I wasn't sure exactly how to fix it.  So what I did was I carved out the stem and a little of the meat and filled it with butter, and baked it.  It was so good!!!  I also looked it up on the computer and got some really good ideas of some things I want to try.  I will post the next way that I fix it.  If you have never had it you should try it!!

Strawberry Cream Pie

The cream pie recipe below is one of my favorites.  My mom had a big strawberry patch and we all looked forward to them every year.  She could make anything grow.  We always had a great garden and growing up she canned everything she could get her hands on.  My sister found the pie recipe on a cool whip container and we discovered just how good it was.  It makes a real pretty pie if you use strawberries  in the pie and then put some on top as well.

I made it this weekend using peaches that I had frozen last summer.  Gosh it was so good! I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do.

Cream Pie

1 box any flavor jello
1/2 cup hot water
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz cool whip
2 graham cracker crust

Add hot water to jello. Mix in cream cheese till smooth, fold in cool whip. Optional to add fruit the same as the flavor of you jello. Place in freezer for 20 minutes.  Put in graham cracker crust and place in refrigerator.

Vegetable Soup with Venison

1 lb of Ground Venison or Ground Beef
1 28 oz can of Veg-All Home Style
1 28 oz can of Delmonte Diced Tomatoes (Basil, Garlic, & Oregano)
1 16 oz can of Delmonte Petite Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos
1 16 oz can of Margret Holmes Triple Succotash

Mix tomatoes and vegetables in a five quart sauce pan. Heat on high while you brown the meat.  Drain grease from the meat and pour in the sauce pan.  Cook ten minutes on medium and you have a great pot of soup.  Enjoy

Quick and Easy Apple Cake

I was searching through the cabinet for something sweet.  All I had was a box of Jiffy cake mix and a can of apple pie filling.  So I made the cake per the directions on the box and when it was done I warmed up the pie filing and poured it over the top.  It was almost like the applesauce cake that my mom used to make.  If you have never had an applesauce cake you do it the same way.  Just cook your cake and pour the applesauce right over the top.    It was quick, easy and good.  I know that I don't put a lot of fancy recipes on my blog but lots of us just don't have time for all that stuff and with the price of groceries going up everyday it my not be long til we'll be back to eating pinto beans and potatoes because we can't afford anything else.

Hobo Chicken and Vegetables

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1639,157176-230195,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.   Mama found this recipe years ago.  You can use chicken,or a  beef / venison patty. 1/4 c. olive oil 4 sm. sliced baking potatoes 1 green pepper, cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch slices 2 med. onions, sliced 4 chicken breasts (with bone) Salt and pepper Tear off 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil. Brush with oil. Divide vegetables evenly among the foil sheets. Brush with more oil. Top with chicken breast, skin side up. Brush with remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold up foil in a series of locked folds.Grill over medium heat for 35-40 minutes or bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Open packages carefully and serve.

Easy Venison Helper

1 lb. venison
1 med. onion, chopped
1 pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
1 can mushroom soup
1 box tater tots

Brown venison, add onion and cook until onions are sauteed. Add vegetables and soup. Put in 9x13 inch pan. Place tater tots on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour until bubbly and tater tots are browned.

What A Cake!

My best friend, Faye sent me the recipe for Heavenly Cake!  Oh my, as my brother-in-law would say it has a morely taste.  The more you eat, the more you want!  All I can say is give it a try and I am sure that you will agree with me!

HEAVENLY CAKE OR UPSIDE DOWN GERMAN CHOCOLOATE CAKE

 Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam

 

Layer 1 – 1 cup pecans

                 1 cup coconut

Spread evenly in bottom of pan

 

Layer 2 – German Chocolate cake mix – mix as directed on box

                 Pour over pecan/coconut layer

 

Layer 3 – 1 – 8 oz cream cheese softened

                  ¼ cup butter

                  1 box powdered sugar

 

Mix and spread on top of cake. 

Bake in 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 30 Min.

 

(Cream cheese cooks down and makes a kind of filling – Wonderful!!)

Fried Cornbread

Sometimes when I want cornbread but my husband doesn't I mix up a little cornbread batter and fry it like a pancake.  In the old days they called the fritters.  My mom sometimes did biscuit dough the same way.  Quick and easy to fix.

1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Beat egg, then stir egg, milk and sugar in the cornmeal.  Make it the consistency of pancake mix.  I spray my pan with olive oil and cook over med-high heat until done.  They are great! 

Grilling

Grilling is right around the corner.  I grill year round, but some folks cover the grill through the winter. Here's a great way to start the grilling seasons.  Since we are big venison eaters, I love to replace standard meats with venison.  

Venison Kabobs

Cubed venison tenderloin
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper
Onion
Squash
Green tomatoes
Your favorite sauce(Mine is Jack Daniels)
Bamboo skewers

Thread meat and veggies on skewers and cook until done turning once.  Just before done brush with sauce and finish cooking.   Enjoy!!!

New Twist on BBQ Chicken

Tonight I did my chicken a little different and we loved it!  I used a boil in bag, like you cook turkey in. 

Chicken Thighs  (I used 6)
1 can mushroom soup
1/2 can water
1 package of vegetable soup mix
BBQ sauce 

Mix soup, water and dry soup mix. Place thighs in bag and pour mixture over them.  Cook at 350 for one hour. Roll top down and cover tops of thighs with your favorite sauce. Cook uncovered for ten minutes.  If soup is not thick enough to make a gravy do the following.  Add a tablespoon of flour to a 1/2 cup of hot water and pour a little at a time into your soup until it is as thick as you want it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

One of Mama Hazels favorite cookies

MUD HEN SQUARES

 

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg separated

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup brown sugar

 

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add whole egg, 1 egg yolk, flour and vanilla;  Mix

Well.  Batter will be stiff.  Spread in  lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. 

 

Sprinkle  nuts over Batter.  Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually adding brown sugar.  Spread over batter

In pan.  Bake at 350 degrees about 45 min.  Cut into squares while  warm.

 

Quick Cookies

Last night pop and I wanted something a little sweet so I said I would make some tea cakes.  When I got in the kitchen I realized that I didn't have enough flour.   I looked through the cabinets and found two boxes of Jiffy muffin mix.  I mixed those together and added what little flour I had to make a stiff dough.  Rolled it out and cut out cookies.  Cooked for about 10 minutes at 350 until done.  They turned out really well!!

Open Faced Tomato and Cheese Sandwich

One of my husbands favorite snacks is an open faced tomato and cheese sandwich. His grandmother used to make them for him when he was a kid.  Quick and easy to fix.

2 slices of bread (I use light wheat)
2 slices of tomato
2 slices of cheese

Spread mayo to taste on the bread for a base then tomato and cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Then toast in oven until cheese is melted and edges of bread is crisp.

Ground Venison Patty & Veggies

We had a great supper tonight consisting of a 3 oz venison patty and veggies.  This year I had our processor make some of the ground venison into patties.  It holds together better if you make patties out of it before it is frozen.  I sprayed my pan with a light coating of olive oil then cooked the patties on med-high until done.  I cheated and used Green Giant Steamers  for the veggies.  The meal was finished in less than thirty minutes.  A 3 oz patty is 132 calories and the  veggies are 45 calories per half cup.  It was great!

Lemon Pepper BBQ Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/3 cup Lemon Pepper Marinade                                            1/4 cup Your favorite BBQ Sauce

Place chicken on cutting board and use a kitchen mallet, rolling pin or small sauce pot to flatten any thick ends. This step ensures even width and even cooking

Pour marinate  into a large resealable plastic bag.
Place chicken in bag with , marinate. Seal bag and refrigrate 30 min. to 1 hour to
.
Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from plastic bag and discard marinade. Place chicken on barbecue; cover with lid. Grill 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Brush with barbecue sauce during last few minutes of grilling time.

Prep: 5 min. total 1 hour 21 minutes (incl. marinating).

Makes 4 Servings.

Eggs and Veggies

Pop likes omelets but I am not very good at making them!  So I do scrambled eggs with a twist!  I take and scramble my eggs and then saute my veggies and pour on top.  Eggs alone are not very filling, but by adding the veggies they are not only more filling but more healthy. We have managed to cut our calorie count almost in half by making minor adjustments in what we eat.  I also keep a journal of what we eat and drink everyday.  It seems to make a difference if you are writing down everything that goes in your mouth.  I hope you have success if you are trying to lose a little weight also.

Cutting Back

Boy, sometimes you don't realize how much you are eating, until you try to cut back.  Pop got so hungry yesterday.  I tried to be creative and give him some low calorie snacks between meals, but it was hard for him.  He had back surgery in September and had lost down to 218.  Then his back and legs started to bother him again, so he stopped walking and is now up to 238.  We've got to get his weight back down, so it doesn't put so much pressure on his back.  His left side is not fusing properly and they may have to go back in and redo the graft.  I would hate that, because back surgery is tough!  He was a real trouper yesterday though and today will be hard.  We have got to shrink our stomachs back to eating smaller portions.  I think that portion size is the key! Reducing  portion size is just common knowledge, but sometimes we forget, and it becomes a hassle to measure out everything you eat.  However if you want to lose weight you must stay vigilant about, portion size, calories, fat content, and some form of exercise.  Thank you for stopping by my blog and have a blessed day.

Chicken Stir Fry

Since my husband and I are trying to lose a little weight I thought I would add some of the ways that we cut down on what we eat.  This is one of my quick and easy stir fry recipes.  If you have a rice cooker start your rice first then prepare your veggies.  One of the ways we cut calories is to us brown rice.  If I am in a hurry I use quick rice fixed in the microwave.  I also sometimes use a frozen stir fry veggie mix.

1 bell pepper (any color)
1 or 2 large carrots, chopped
2 boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
3 cups rice
1 1/2 tablespoon of Yoshida's gourmet sauce or you favorite sauce
1 cup onion cut into strips.

When preparation is done, in a large Wok or frying pan, combine the pepper, carrot, chicken, sauce and the onions.
Let this cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't let it cook too long; check your vegetable to see that they are still crunchy. Serve when chicken is done!

My husband

and I really love to eat!  As you can tell by my post that we love sweets.  We have both gained some weight since deer season started so it's back to watching what we eat.  I've got to get back to walking!! I lost almost 20 pounds last summer, walking and watching what I ate.  I would like to lose the 10 pounds I've gained back plus about 20 more.  I'm going to keep track of it here.  I'll include some of the new recipes that I try and maybe you'll take this trip with me and lose some weight for yourself.  First thing is to set a calorie goal and work up a menu that I think will keep me on the right track.  I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by my blog.

Georgia Cornbread Cake

  This is another one of Mama Hazel's favorite's.  I hope you enjoy !!

1 CUP SUGAR

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

4 EGGS BEATEN

1 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 ½ CUP SELF-RISING FLOUR

1 TSP VANILLA

2 CUPS PECANS CHOPPED FINE

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking dish or pan.  Stir together sugar,

Brown sugar, eggs, and oil in a bowl till smooth.  Stir in flour and vanilla.  Add pecans and stir until

Evenly mixed.  Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 min.

Mama Hazel's Peanut Candy

As you all know I have a thing for chocolate!  My best friend, who is more like my sister send me a recipe this Christmas that I just love.  Mama Hazel uses peanuts in this recipe but you can also use pecans!  You can do this with almond bark but this is the old fashion way to make chocolate covered peanuts.

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tbs cocoa powder
pinch of salt
3/4 to 1 cup raw or unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Cook about 5 minutes....drop a bit into cold water to see if it sets up. Spoon onto wax paper and let cool.
This is so good!  Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Crackers

Have you ever wanted something a little sweet but just a little salty?  This is perfect!  Everybody loves ritz crackers, peanut butter and chocolate!  I had never tried this until a friend brought them to an office party years ago.  I fell in love with them and so did my kids.  I haven't made them in a while but thought you and yours might like them.  Enjoy!

Ritz Crackers
peanut butter
chocolate almond bark

Sandwich 1 teaspoon peanut butter between two Ritz crackers. Make as many as you want and set aside.Melt chocolate bark in a double boiler. Dip the sandwiched crackers in the chocolate with tongs.
Place on wax paper until cool. White Chocolate Almond Bark may also be used).

Cat Head Biscuits

My Mom could make the best biscuits!!  She called them cat heads, I never ask why.  When we were growing up she always made us biscuits and saw mill gravy for breakfast.  Then on Sunday she would add eggs and maybe some kind of meat if we had it. 

2 cups flour
2 table spoons crisco

blend the flour and crisco then add enough milk to make a stiff dough.  Then you can roll them out and cut with a cutter or mama would tear off some and then roll it from one hand to the other tucking in the edges with her thumb.  You can also make it a little thinner and put it in a muffin pan.

Butter and jelly go real good with a hot cat head biscuit.

Turkey Fingers

1 turkey breast cut in strips

2 eggs

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 gallon size zip lock bag

Beat the two eggs and combine them with the mix in a mixing bowl(like you would for frying chicken).  Combine the dry ingredients in the zip lock bag and shake.  Then dip your strips of turkey in the liquid  then shake them up in the bag and fry in a pan or deep fryer for approximately four minutes.  They are great!!!

BBQ Ribs Made Easy

I love to discover ways to make things quicker or easier.  I got up this morning wanting bbq ribs for dinner tonight.  We had some country cut spare ribs in the freezer, just what I was looking for!!! I thawed them out in the microwave then put them in a broil in bag with 1 cup of water.  I cooked them at 325 degrees for two hours.  Then I poured off the excess juice and covered them with my favorite bbq sauce. Closed the bag and cooked for 20 more minutes.  I then opened the bag and cooked for 10 minutes.  They were some of the best ribs I have ever cooked. When you are using the cooking bags, remember to be careful when opening them because of the steam.