Jello Pies

What is going on? A week ago it was in the 70s and today it is snowing! I guess I should not be surprised, that is just Kansas weather...and I have seen it do this in a day's time!  But, rats!  For some reason(maybe the snow outside) the cleaning bug bit me this morning, which my husband and I have both been wandering when it would bite me again, so thank goodness!  I have been cleaning those places that don't see daylight...you know, the basement storage room, the cabinets under the sinks, the linen closet! Boy, was that ever needed and I am glad it is done!  How does so much stuff accumulate so quickly? 
Since Spring is in the air(although not today!) I started craving jello salad, pasta salad, all those food items that you eat at picnics and when you are grilling.  Many of you have probably made this before, but it is so simple and so good and low in fat and kids love it and it just helps me feel like warm weather is coming, so I thought I'd spread the sunshine to you too!
Jello Pie
1 graham cracker crust
1C boiling water
1C ice water
1tub cool whip,light
1small pkg strawberry jello(or fav)
1C.fresh sliced strawberries(optional)
Boil 1C water and pour into jello powder and stir until dissolved.  Add 1C cold water and stir until thickened. Add cool whip and stir well.  Refrigerate 15min or until somewhat set up and then spoon into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours or over night.  If adding in fresh strawberries add them in before adding in cool whip. Note: this does make extra, it won't all fit into the crust...bonus!
*Another recipe that is so easy and yummy is pudding pie. Use 1small package of your favorite instant  pudding, we use chocolate, and stir in 1 3/4C milk and pour into chocolate graham cracker crust.  Let set up in refrigerator and before serving spread with a tub of light cool whip.

Olive Garden Fettucini Alfredo

Note to self: next time you are going to make fettucini alfredo, make sure you have the fettucini! Tonight we had penne alfredo! This is a great copycat version of Olive Garden, but I have changed it a bit.  Do you live in a town where they show t.v. commercials from the big city and you have none of those yummy restaurants even close? I do and the closest Olive Garden I know about is almost 5 hours away! It isn't fair to have to watch those delicious commercials, so when I came across this yummy copycate recipe I gave it a try. It is very good!  I add mushrooms and fresh spinach and grilled chicken.  Start by melting one stick of butter. When this is melted add 2T cream cheese and let this soften.  Then add 1pt of heavy cream and simmer for 10-12minutes while stirring so it will thicken.  Add 1tsp of garlic powder and 1/2C parmesan cheese and stir until heated. 

Now, my version is this: After melting the butter add in mushrooms and saute with minced garlic.  Then add fresh spinach and cook down.  Add heavy cream and pepper and 1tsp garlic powder.  Stir and cook on medium heat for 10-12minutes or until thickened. After thickened, add 1/4C parmesan cheese and stir to heat.  Add in fully cooked grilled chicken chunks.

Spinach and Mushroom Chicken

Today is cold again, and it's a Monday, UGH! Oh well, I've got a lot of house cleaning to do, so it's a good day to be inside.  My allergies have already started so I think that may be a good sign that Spring is in the air...I recently found out I am allergic to all weeds and all grasses and sunflowers and a couple trees.  Can you believe it? A Kansas girl, allergic to sunflowers?! I didn't know it was possible! That should be like against the rules or something.  That's almost as bad if I were allergic to wheat...which thankfully I am not.  And go figure, sunflowers and daisies are my absolute favorite flowers!  I guess my hubby won't have to sneak into a farmer's sunflower field anymore to pick me some wild ones!  He does do that with lilacs, he usually asks first though.  I love wildflowers that you see in the ditches and many fields around here and he will often stop while he is out working in the country and pick me some and bring them home and surprise me!  I love fresh flowers inside, it makes me smile.  Growing up every time I went to my grandma's house she would have flowers, or even branches from her forsythia bush and lilac bush and have them in almost every room in her house....it smelled so good and it was so pretty!  She is very artistic and has a great eye for simple beauty and how to turn something boring into something special.      Today I am posting a recipe I have not tried yet, but recently found in a Taste of Home magazine...I love those magazines and cookbooks! So, if you try it let me know what you think of it...it sounds really good...although I'm not sure my kiddos are going to like it.  It says to cook your chicken while making this, but right now I have some fully cooked grilled and season chicken breasts that I am going to use instead.  One step easier for me. Enjoy!
Spinach and Mushroom Chicken
3C fresh spinach
2C sliced fresh mushrooms
3 green onions, sliced
2T chopped pecans
11/2t olive oil
4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts (4oz each)
seasoning
2 slices provolone cheese, halved
In a large skillet, saute the spinach, mushrooms, onions and pecans in the oil until mushrooms are tender.  Set aside and keep warm.  Sprinkle chicken with seasoning. Spray grill rack if grilling and grill chicken covered over med heat or broil 4in from the heat for 4-5min on each side or until done.  Top with cheese. Cover and grill 2-3min longer. To serve, top each chicken breast with reserved spinach mixture.

Beef and Cheese Stuffed Bread

TGIF!! We have a weekend of 4H bbgun shooting this weekend with my 11yr old son, he is really good at it and we are so proud of him.  He is one of those boys who is naturally good at stuff, but some days he could care less and some days he cares...and on those days that he cares, watch out! I wish he knew that if he tried his hardest each time that he would only get better and better, especially since the natural talent is already there. We are teaching him how important attitude is in life and how far the right attitude can take a person in life. I guess it all comes in time and with maturing and teaching......and lots of praying!  It's funny as a parent, how often you look at your children and see yourself in them and you want them to avoid your mistakes, but you want them to do it right now, not realizing and remembering that we too had to learn and that they are still only children and they will learn too.... hopefully only sooner than what we did!!             Today I'm posting a really easy and yummy recipe that is nice for busy nights or a weekend meal.  I've been making it for 12 years now and it never gets old.  Enjoy!
Beef and Cheese Stuffed Bread
1pd ground beef, cook and drain
1pkg taco seasoning
1 can nacho cheese soup
2C shredded cheese
1 loaf french bread
Brown beef. Cut off top of the bread and pull out inside of the loaf, leaving the bottom in place(to make a shell). While beef is warm, stir in taco seasoning, soup, and bread crumbs(from inside the loaf).  This will be thick. Pour this back into the shell of the bread and spread it evenly.  Top with shredded cheese and put the top of the bread back on. Wrap the entire loaf in foil and bake at 350 for 20min.

Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans

Ahhhhh!!! Spring is in the air! Yesterday and today I got to open my windows and let fresh air in the house, I'm SO excited! I don't think my family quite grasps how happy it makes me after spending a winter inside, all day long, to have a Spring like day come along! It makes my soul sing!  I told my hubby last night, see how happy it makes me when it is pretty outside and I get to spend most of the day outside?!! I'm a whole new person....I figured he'd say, pack our bags we are moving ASAP to a warmer place!....but, he didn't!  He would also like to have warm weather year around (and a happy all the time wife), but he is too keen on "no people" and so he is content here, where there are not many people.  I think we should meet in the middle and move somewhere warm year around, but out in the country! Perfect solution....except that costs a lot of money!       Today I am posting an awesome recipe! One of my favorite recipes that I have EVER made....that says a lot!!  It may come across as strange or a gross combination, but trust me, it is wonderful! One of those times that your eyes roll back and you visit a happy place.....until one of your kids says MOM, I need more milk! and then you come back to reality! The combination is perfect and is a great side dish to steaks or chicken. I got this from allrecipes.com, but I have changed it to fit our portion size.  This is one of those dishes that I get embaressed over, because by about my third helping my husband starts giving me that eye, you know, the one that says, how the heck is she eating all that! It's green beans...it's healthy...no worries! Try it and let me know if you agree!! This recipe does require you to marinate the green beans, so plan ahead.

This is a picture before the sauce was added.  If you have a bigger family, just make more bundles and use a 13x9 and double the sauce.
Bacon-wrapped Green Beans
1 bag, or bunch, of whole fresh green beans
Raw bacon strips, I made 5 bundles and used about 4 bacon strips
With 5 bundles, of around 10 green beans each, I use 1/4C melted butter, 1/4C brown sugar, 1/2t garlic salt, 1t soy sauce. Melt the butter first and then add the rest and stir well. Place around 10 green beans in a bundle and wrap a half slice to one slice of bacon around each bundle, you can secure with a toothpick if needed.  Put in a greased 8x8 dish(unless making more) and pour sauce over each bundle. NOTE: after pouring sauce over the top, marinate in the fridge overnight, or for a few hours. I cook covered with foil at 375 for about 30 minutes and then uncover and turn each bundle over and cook 15min more. Cook longer if you want the bacon crispier.

Here I wrapped the green beans/bacon around chicken tenderloins with the sauce, OH MY!

Zucchini Patties

Yes, if I'm posting about zucchini I must be daydreaming about warm weather again and my garden! My hubby keeps requesting these yummy patties and lucky for him I have tons of zucchini frozen from my garden.  Guess what? I found my grill! The snow melted and voila...there it was! So I layed out steaks and we will also have these yummy zucchini patties.  They are awesome! Make sure you use freshly grated mozzarella, it makes a huge difference with these.  Even my kids who don't like zucchini, unless it is in bread or muffins, love these patties.  The kids dip them in ranch and I just eat them with salt on them.       My daughter must be getting cabin fever also, all she wants to do lately is "pretend" camp. She packs her backpack full of camping stuff and we have a pretend campfire and pretend stars and crickets and we go pretend fishing and eat pretend smores! What an imagination she has! And it's fun...until about the 15th day of it...and then I get tired of "pretend camping" and then I want to REAL camp!!  Oh, how I wish my mind could be so content as a child's, no worries, just go along with the flow of life and constantly be amazed at everything during the day.  Children are such a blessing....they keep us adults reminded of what is important and help us to remember to slow down and enjoy our day...enjoy the simple things. Being a mommy is hard work...nothing easy about it.  There is constant worry and planning and juggling.  The hard part as a busy mom is taking the time to slow down and focus on what really matters.  If I can realize this now, while I'm young,  then I won't get older after my kids are grown and gone and only wish I spent more "time" with them.  Even as a stay at home mom, I catch myself being "busy" with stuff that needs to be done and not always taking that intentional time to just play with my daughter....like right now! I'm doing my blog and she wants me to go open "pretend" birthday presents with all of her friends(stuffed animals) because they are waiting on me and are so excited for me to join the party! How sweet and special is that! So, I better get to "my" party!!
Zucchini Patties
2C shredded zucchini(if frozen, drain well)
2eggs,beaten
1/4C diced onion,optional
1/2C flour
1/2C parmesan cheese
1/2C mozzarella cheese
salt
vegetable oil
In bowl, combine zucchini,eggs,onion,flour, and cheeses and stir. Heat oil in pan and drop patties in hot oil and cook patties on each side for a few minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with salt.

Peanut Butter Pie

Love is in the air! How wonderful it is to have love in your life! Whether that is your spouse, your kids, your family, your friends....it's a blessing from above.  Sometimes life is so daily and special days like today, Valentine's Day, helps us to reflect on all those special people in our lives.  I have a wonderful family. A husband who adores me(yea for me!!), children who are beautiful and happy and healthy and a mom and dad and grandparents and numerous other family members who are all terrific people...and I am blessed to have them in my life.  Today I think about and extend my love to my sister-n-law and three beautiful nieces, who are spending their first Valentine's day without her spouse(my brother) and their daddy.  He may not be here with us on earth anymore, but he is in heaven and our angel, and he is giving us extra love today...I can feel it.  A man like my brother no doubt has filled our hearts with love and now with wonderful, blessed memories.  Hug and love, every single day those that you cherish.  Tell them you love them, more importantly, show them you love them...they can be taken from you in an instant. Most of all, know God and know where you would go if you were taken.  It is such a comfort to know one day when I pass, my brother will be there waiting for me in Heaven!!!!
 I made my kiddos and hubby a special treat for dessert tonight.  You can cut down calories by making it with light cream cheese and light cool whip. Oh, and I am so proud of myself.....I did wake up early today(coffee in hand!)and made a special Valentine's breakfast!  It was so fun to see the kids' faces when they ate my heart shaped cherry turnovers! How's that song go? "love the one's your with" Amen.
Peanut Butter Pie-from a great blog, Let's Dish
1 chocolate graham cracker crust
1(8oz)pkg cream cheese, I used light
1tub cool whip, I used light
1/2C sugar
1tsp vanilla
1C peanut butter
Soften the cream cheese and add sugar. Beat together until smooth and then add vanilla and peanut butter and mix well.  Fold in cool whip and place in graham cracker crust. Refrigerate 4 hours. I think I will drizzle the top with Hershey's syrup before serving...you know, to make it even sweeter! Maybe draw a heart on top of it with the syrup..how cute!