I finally did it!

I finally clened up the labels on my posts. Now you can find the recipes easier on the sidebar! I can too...I get tired of hunting down a recipe.....this will make it so much easier! One of these days I am going to print my recipes and put them in the recipe cookbook my awesome sister made me! That will make it even easier....hummm maybe a summer project?????

JoGail absolutely love sthe instant oatmeal pakets! We will never go back to the store bought ones! Thank you, FishMama for the idea! She has a blast making them and we can alter them however we want!

 For those not on facebook, 4 puppies mysteriously showed up at our house yesterday....yeah...joy joy! The girls are elated while Coy and I are wondering what in the world to do. We really wouldn't mind having a dog IF we had a fence. JoGail woke up up this morning screaming and crying because the puppies ran across the street to play with the cows.....not exactly how I wanted to wake up on my last day of spring break!


Speaking of joy, joy, Grace got her braces off yesterday! Along wiht her teeth cleaned, her second guardasil shot and her hair cut! She's reay to go back to school. I was a little afraid since she has been coughing alot that she might be coming down with strep so I had the doctor test her. It was negative. He said she is developing allergies-ugh. She has never had any so we're trying some meds to see how it helps.

Ok on to some recipes.......I have been trying some new ones over the break and have discovered some I like !!!

Cinnamom Coffee Cake (Taken directly from the cutting back kitchen). Let me tell ya when she says the cinnamon smell is wonderful, that's an understatement...this will definately be making an appearance at work! Easy and you probably have all the ingredients already. This would be also be great to take to a Sunday School breakfast. JoGail gave this a BIG thumbs up!


Cinnamom Coffee Cake
from Cutting Back Kitchen

1/4 Cup oil
1 egg
1/2 Cup milk
1  1/2 Cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teasponn salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8x8 pan with pam.
Mix together until well blended. Spread into pan. Mix topping.

Topping
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon melted butter

Mix together until crumbly. Spread over batter.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Here's another recipe. I think was kind of made up by some friends but has quickly become a favorite of mine. Don't substitue the Apple dippers! I don't know why but there is a big difference when you do! I think it's because of the variety of apple they use....This makes an awesome mid morning or midafternoon snack.

Apple Delight

2 pakages McDonald's Apple dippers
1 teaspoon melted butter
cinnamon
1 packet splenda

Place apples in microwavable dish. Pour butter over. Sprinkle splenda and cinnamon. Microwave about 30-45 seconds.....yummo!

The next recipe is something I kind of made up....I was craving Chinese tasting food but didn't want the sodium! So I set out to find a fried rice recipe with no soy sauce in it.....couldn't find one....so I tried my own! I really liked it....kind of more Hawainny to me than Chinese but it hit the spot for me. I made the rice a couple of hours before and let it sit out at room temperature....several recipes suggested this to keep the rice from sticking when it gets heated. 

Fried Rice

1 cup prepared brown rice
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained and rinsed or fresh pineapple cut into small pieces
2 eggs
fresh veggies cut up-broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, whatever you have
Precooked Protein-chicken, shrimp, pork  whatever you have.....I didn't use any but you can add it
Whatever seasonings you want

Heat large skillet to high..I use a non stick pan but if you don't have one just add some olive oil to the skillet. Put veggies in and let them saute....after about 2 mins push them to one side. Add eggs and scramble. When eggs are starting to congeal mix with veggies. Add seasonings. Add proteins and rice and pineapple and 'fry' rice for a couple of minutes. Divide up and enjoy!

Never did find the written down reipe for MawMaw Collin's Egg Salad....I remember her making it when she would come to the house though...I do know how my mom made it....so I'm guessing it's pretty close. I don't have exact measurements for the ingredients, so add them to suit your taste.

MawMaw's Egg Salad

Peeled and mashed boiled eggs
Maynonaise
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Pickle Relish

I have found that if I mix the mayo and mustard together with the seasonings it mixes better. Then mix it with the rest of the ingredients. I always put more mustard than mayo as well. Mix well. Eat plain (I remember her doing this) or as a sandwich on your favorite simple bread. I sometimes add cayenne pepper to spice it up and I NEVER had pickle relish....I do not like pickles, their smell or anything remorely close to that smell. I do not know why. I just DON'T. Even when I work concession stands I will not do the pickles. My girls and husband love them. I buy them for them but do not open, clean up or otherwise smell or touch the jars. When the jars are empty they have to put the lid on it and take it out to the garage to the trash container out there. I know too much information, but I am on a roll.....

Grandma is Coy's mom. NOw when she was alive and we would visit we would have sandiwches adn chips at least once. Sometimes it was lunch meat soemtimes it was tuna fish. Now my mom would add apples, pickle relish ( see above), and just about anything she could to tuna fish since she had five kids and was stretching the tuna. Grandma's recipe was way more simple and just as delicious. She showed me how she made it on a trip she took with us to Ruidoso. I've been making it her way ever since. Simple. Not crunchy. So if you like crunchy tuna fish this recipe is not for you!

Grandma's Tuna Fish

1 package water packed tuna
2 Tb mayo

Mix together and spread on bread. Sometimes she would coat each piece of bread with a little more mayo.

JoGail likes to eat this plain. No bread. No crackers....crazy girl!

 I plan to try a recipe for butternut squash fries today.....not sure about them but since the butternut sqush was only $1.29 I thought I would give it a whirl....

Going to enjoy the rest of my last day off!!!! Cold weather (possibly more snow!) is predited for tomorrow....really really hoping they cancel the soccer games!!!! I think I am going to make a big pot of shrimp gumbo for tomorrow.....

~Laurie