Apple Crisp

I know I am a little slow but this is the dessert I made for Thanksgiving.  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!  My mom taught me to make this and we always switched it up with different fruits and cake mixes.  Here is the basic one, feel free to make it your own.

8x8 pan greased
6 apples sliced (Or canned apple pie filling)
1 Tbsp flour
2 tbsp Cinnamon
Half a bag of cake mix (I used yellow)
1/2 cup oatmeal (any except steel)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
7 Tbsp butter

First preheat your oven to 375. Mix the apples with the flour and cinnamon and put them in the pan.  In a bowl add cake mix, oatmeal, brown sugar, nutmeg, and ginger.  Using a pastry cutter cut the butter in until it is crumbly.  Sprinkle it over the apples and then sprinkle the walnuts over that.  Bake for 30-45 minutes until it is brown and bubbly.

Silly me forgot to take a picture of it after it was done cooking but here are some of the before:

Soy Sauce Chicken Drumsticks

I made these and they were delicious. I just wish I had used foil in the pan because I had to soak my pan for 3 days! Oops! Learn from my mistakes lol
I only made 3 drumsticks so adjust to how many you use.
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
Mix them together and marinade those drumsticks. I forgot to do it ahead of time but they still came out delicious.
Bake them at 400 for 30-45 minutes, depends on the size!

Grilled Pork Chops

People probably think I'm a nut when I serve them pink pork chops but as soon as they take a bite there is no longer doubt. My favorite marinade....catalina salad dressing! Try it! And if you love it let me know!

Crock Pot Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak is one of my favorite meals!  I make it at work for thirty people and we always look forward to it.  I decided to make it in the crock pot for dinner tonight and it was a mistake!  Not the food but deciding to do it on a day when I am home.  It was torture having to smell it all day!

I usually make this with hamburger patties.  I cook them halfway and then put them in the crock pot the rest of the time.  I only had cube steak but it worked great!  The key to this salisbury steak is that you have to put everything in order in the crockpot.  I am not sure why but if it changes it doesn't taste as good...maybe it is just me!

Here is what you need to make dinner for two, double and triple if you need to.

2 cube steaks or hamburger patties
1 Cup of Onion-Chopped in big pieces
1 Cup mushrooms (Optional-I don't like them so I left them out)
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Can Diced tomatoes
2 cups of brown gravy-you can use the packets or make your own


I put the cube steaks in the crockpot and turned it on low.  Next I chopped the onion into big pieces.  I do this because I love the flavor of onion but not the texture so the big pieces make it easy to take them out. Put the onion and mushrooms into a sauce pan with the butter on low for a couple minutes.  You will start smelling something fantastic coming from that pan and then you can transfer it onto the cube steaks.  Pour the diced tomatoes over that and the brown gravy over that.  Cook it on low for 4-5 hours. Pretty simple and you can pair it with rice, baked potatoes or mashed potatoes!

And Yes I love using Marcus' plates lol


Here is how I made my brown gravy:

I know it takes more time and honestly it's a pain in the butt but it's delicious and you can make it as salty as you want or don't want.

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup flour-this depends on your gravy
2 cups beef broth or two cups of water and 2 beef bouillion cubes

Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat until warm.  Whisk a tiny bit of flour into the oil at a time.  You have to constantly whisk it until it it really thick.  This is where I slowly add the beef broth.  You have to let the flour soak up the broth a little at a time. Keep adding it until it starts to look like gravy.  When the broth is all in it, bring it to a boil then shut off the heat.  It should thicken up.  Make sure you taste it and add a dash of pepper.

Ham and Kale Quiche

When I think of quiche I think...gross.  Ok so I used to.  A friend of mine mentioned that she made a bunch of pie crusts to put in the freezer and that she was making quiche out of them.  I gave her that "gross" look and she told me they don't have to be that way!  So I thought I would give it a try.  It was a good idea because man were we missing out!  Marcus even had seconds, that's when you know it is a keeper!  I made the Pioneer Woman's pie crust.  Took it out of the freezer last night.  I know she says not to thaw it too much but for me it was much easier to roll out.

I admit I didn't roll it out to it's full potential but for good reason.  I don't like burnt crust!  I know you can put foil around the edges and all that but this morning I was feeling a little bit lazy.  So it was lower than the top of my pie pan.  It didn't make a difference in the taste or affect the dish in any way.

Anyway Preheat the oven to 400 and put the crust in it for five minutes, otherwise it won't cook all the way.

Take 1 cup of Ham (I used lunch meat, again lazy lol), 1 cup of Kale, 1 Tbsp of Garlic Powder (1 Diced Garlic Clove if you are feeling motivated), and 1Tbsp of Onion (1/8 onion chopped) and put it in a skillet on medium heat for just 2 to 3 minutes.  It just brings the flavors out.  While that is cooking beat 3 eggs with 3/4 cup of milk in another bowl.  Add some salt and pepper, it really depends on your tastes.  Pull the oven rack with the crust out and add the ham and kale mixture then the eggs.  I added some cheese on top because Hey everything tastes better with cheese!  The reason I didn't take the crust out completely is because I didn't want to splash the egg all over.  It keeps the stove top clean!  Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until it isn't jiggly anymore (That's my technical term haha).

Ingredients:
1 Pie Crust
1 Cup Ham
1 Cup Kale
1 Tbsp Garlic powder (1 clove Garlic diced)
1 Tbsp Onion Powder (1/8 Onion diced)
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt
pepper
1/2 cup cheese, any kind

Yum Yum!  This makes a great dinner too!  Anyone have any great quiche recipes they want to share??

The 5 Reasons I Stay Off of Facebook!

When I joined Facebook in 2009 I never knew how much it would affect my life.  At first it was exciting to be able to catch up with people you haven't seen in years, to see their every day lives and to share pictures of my own life.  For years I became addicted to other people's lives.  I became annoyed with some of them, happy for them, sad for them, mad for them, you name it I was right there with them.  There were many discussions of politics, religion, family, motherhood, partying, and anything else you can think of. When I discovered the world of blogging it was so helpful to have them all in one place, to see the daily deals and coupons.  It was even helpful to have the news in one place.  It was even great to be notified of birthdays constantly.  I could go on and on about the positive parts of Facebook but one day I woke up and deleted my Facebook.  I will admit it was difficult and there have been many things that I have missed since then but guess what I DON'T CARE!

There are probably more than 5 reasons why staying on Facebook is good but here are the 5 reasons I stay off of Facebook:

5. I worry about my own life!  Yes catching up and keeping track of weddings and babies is great but it takes the focus off of what is important.  My real life relationships with people!  I know some people can do both but I couldn't and recognized that!

4.  I don't spend so much money!  I know this sounds funny, even to me.  Spend money on Facebook?? How?? You might say.  Those blogs that I love so much were constantly posting great deals and coupons.  When I saw a great deal I would buy it!   I can say that some of those deals were worth it but some were not!  I always talked myself into needing something because it was a deal.  Now I buy what I need, not what I think I need.

3.  No more news!  Yes Facebook is where I first saw that they got Osama Bin Laden, and many other news stories but face it the news these days contains sad stories.  I cannot remember the last time I saw a news story about something happy!

2. People no longer know my business and pretend to care about it.  I am an emotional person and have on more than one occasion posted very personal things.  I regret it but sure can't take it back.  When we lost our son people were constantly writing me on Facebook telling me how sorry they were and asking if they could help.  This was wonderful but it became very overwhelming in a time that all I needed was my family and some alone time.  I mean for weeks people would not leave me alone.  I really did appreciate it all but it was too much.  Now I tell it to myself lol That's not the same but it keeps my business away from hundreds of people.  Sometimes people forget just how many people can see your whole life on Facebook!

1. I can get stuff done!!  This is the best one yet!  I actually get off of my butt and get things done around the house.  I admit I was such a Facebook addict I spent hours a day on it even if nothing was happening.  I have tackled projects that have been put off for a year!

I thought for sure I would miss it but really don't.  I miss all the blogs I had and their daily posts but that's why I have email.  I can subscribe to them and read them when I feel like it!  It's almost like I feel free.  That may sound funny to some of you but it is a huge relief to get rid of one addiction.  People joke about it but it really is!  Times have really changed and technology is relied on for EVERYTHING!  It is nice to get back to the real world and remember that a face to face conversation with someone means more than any Internet conversation!

Zoo-James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

 When I think James Patterson novels Zoo is definitely not my definition.  I read it pretty fast but only because once I started it, I wanted to find out what happened at the end.

It was about a guy named Oz that suspects something is happening all over the world to animals to turn them against humans. Think 2012 but without the weather. Cats and Dogs are turning on their owners and killing them. I won't go into more detail because if you decide to read it I don't want to ruin it for you.

 I can't say I liked it and I can't say I hated it. It was just....there. Definitely not one of his/their better ones! I have read every other James Patterson books, working on the Alex Cross series right now (Yes I'm slow)and I could have done without this one!!

Dinner Plan 11/4-12/1

This month I kept it pretty simple.  I'm not crazy about this once a month grocery shopping, I keep running out of things but I'm going to try one more month.  I just need to plan a little better!




Week 1-
Chili (Recipe to come)

 Diced Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables

Cereal for 2 days since I was sick

 Italian Chicken

 Chicken Stir Fry over Rice

Taco Bites

Week 2-
Hamburger, Fideo and Vegetables

Grilled Pork Chops

 Soy Sauce Chicken Drumsticks br />
 Chocolate Chip Pancakes

 Chik Fil A Nuggets

 Week 3-
 Pizza

 Chicken Tortilla Soup (Recipe to come)

 Taquitos (Recipe to Come)

 Brown Sugar Chicken

 Black and White Bean Chili (Recipe to come)

 Week 4-
 Spaghetti

 Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

 Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

 Salisbury Steak

 Black Beans, Rice and Vegetables

 Snacks:
 Cookie Dough Bites

 Banana Peanut Butter Bites

 Sweet Potato Crackers

 Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars

 Breakfast:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes (We like peanut butter, chocolate anything around here!)

 Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

 Cinnamon Scones

There are so many recipes I have in my head that need to be shared so this will be updated at the end of the month with a bunch of recipes!!

Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

My Aunt has been telling me about these pineapple upside down muffins that they used to have at Perkins. All of our Perkins have closed in Colorado so I never got the chance to taste these creations she talks so highly about! She told me about the topping so I searched and searched for a copycat recipe and found nothing, so here I am blindly copycatting (Is that a word?)a recipe I've never tasted. I don't know how Perkin's muffins taste but these are definitely yummy and I will be making them again!

 Pineapple Upside Down Muffins
 Servings 10

10 Pineapple Rings
10 Stemless Cherries
 6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
 4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

 2 Cups Flour, whatever you prefer
 1/2 Cup Sugar
 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 egg
 1 Cup Milk
 1/4 Cup Butter, melted or Coconut oil to make it healthier

 Melt the 4 Tablespoons of butter and mix in the brown sugar. Grease the muffin pans really well and add a spoonful to ten of them. Lay the pineapple rings down and put a cherry in the middle. Mix the rest of the ingredients and add to the top of the pineapple and cherries. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are all the way done. These are what they look like...yum

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 5,6,7,8 and 9

Hello!  Thankfully I am just now feeling better and getting to all the things that haven't been done in the last couple days!  The stomach flu is not fun and takes everything out of you I swear.  Good thing I have 5 days off to play catch up. 

I did Days 5, 6,7,8 and 9 today to try and catch up.

Day 5: 5 Steps to Developing discipline-  I will admit that I have discipline in certain areas of my life but only if they involve fun haha!  Since my big goal is to run a mile in 21 days I have to make sure I stick with it. 

My reasons why I want to stick with it:

*To show myself that I don't hate running!
*So my body will feel better
*To show myself that I CAN!
*To feel strong
*To have more energy

Likely Obstacles:
*Cold Weather
*Pain
*Busy life

How to develop new behaviors so that these obstacles won't get in my way:

*Run 3-4 times a week, even if it half a mile and inside
*If I am in pain I will stretch and do some jumping jacks and walking
*I can get very busy but I always have time for TV (one of my bad habits), take 15 minutes from something I am watching and run up and down the stairs or run in place in front of the TV.

Day 6: Be Realistic- I have been being realistic from the start, running a mile in 21 days is pretty realistic for me.  If I had said 2 that would be a far reach for me!

Day 7: Resist Negative Thought Patterns-Instead of saying I can't I will just get up and Do It!

Day 8: Put Your Goals on Paper- I admit it, I am a post it freak!  I like everything written down so this is perfect!

Day 9: Break Your Goals Into Bite Sized Pieces-I am going to write down on the calendar the days I will work out and where I want to be.  That doesn't mean I will meet those exactly but I am ok with that and know that it will at least be a step in the right direction!

I plan on running this afternoon when it is a little warmer!  I am also trying to get back on a flylady schedule to get my house clean and ready to put on the market in a couple months.  Does anyone have any advice??