Pizza Pizza who wants some Pizza

We have a family tradition of Pizza for dinner on Friday nights, sometimes it's take out, some times it's from frozen. But our favorite is the homemade kind, over 5 years ago my Sister-In_Law introduced us to Valentino's Pizza Crust and the online site where it was located, All Recipes. Which I fell in love with, you can find a recipe for pretty much anything there and then save recipes you want to try in a recipe box. Mine now has a total of..... 432 in it, that wasn't as bad as I thought :)
Hubby is our resident pizza maker, he and the kiddos really enjoy making pizza together. And ever since we were introduced to this recipe it's the only one we use.

Valentino's Pizza Crust
Ingred;

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
2. Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.

When we make this I always double the recipe. It also makes great mini pizza's, we have used this recipe at more birthday parties than I can remember. If you have never baked with yeast before this recipe is perfect for you (LB:)
It is quick easy and delicious :)

From me to you

Thank you for following and commenting on my little Blog.

I appreciate each and everyone of you.

Thank you for all of the Holiday Wishes.

I want wish you all a very-

Merry Christmas!!!

It just wouldn't be Christmas without....

Cookies (lots and lots of cookies)-

Fudge (Hubby's favorite)-

And Gingerbread (my favorite)-

With the kiddos on break I thought we better make some fun cookies, these Melt-Away Peppermint Wreaths are great, especially if you have little ones who want to help you bake. The recipe is from AR and definitely needs to be doubled. A very yummy cookie, it tastes just like you would assume from the name. And as you can see my girls had a great time helping me roll balls, and snowmen and flowers and stick people. What can I say they ARE girls, it was a little hard to keep them on task but it was fun.






The Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge recipe is also from AR, I didn't change it but am wishing I had. It needs a little change, I didn't have time to check the review for it or I suppose I would have known that. It was a bit dry, and didn't quite fill the pan size it called for, but still pretty tasty, it's chocolate right? ;)

The Gingerbread, ahhhh the gingerbread, it makes things smell like Christmas :) Once again the recipe is from AR Favorite Old Fashioned Gingerbread, I got all 3 of these from my recipe box where they have been saving for some time. Sadly this was not the perfect gingerbread recipe, I have had better. It was pretty good topped with some whip cream but the search for the perfect gingerbread recipe will go on.

So, of all these goodies the cookies were my favorite, which was completely unexpected.

Award AND Winning a Giveaway how did I get so Lucky?!?!

Look- My very first ever Blog Giveaway that I won!

This is from Monica over at Lick the bowl good.

See how pretty she wrapped it-

I thought about saving it for Christmas but I couldn't wait!!

Thank you so so much Monica, this really made my week :)

Lee over at the Queen over at HH&H
very sweetly handed out this award-

Thank you Lee, you are definitely the sweetest Queen ever :)

I have been baking some yummy stuff today, with the help of my slaves.
I will give you the details tomorrow.
I hope everyone had a great Monday!

Fun with Artichokes

I have a couple more artichoke recipes that turned out to be keepers-

The first one is from AR, the only change I made was to add in some diced green olives.

Artichoke Salsa

Pretty good stuff, I think next time I will top it with some shredded cheese.


This next one is very versatile, it could be used as a cold pate.

Or topped with shredded mozzarella and baked as a dip.

Or used to stuff Mushrooms, it was yummy all 3 ways.

Artichoke Crab Spread
Ingred;
1/2c. marinated artichoke hearts
1/2c. crab meat
4 oz cream cheese
1/4c. parmesan cheese
1 green garlic stuffed olive
1/2t. salt

Blend all together in a food processor. If baking- bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Next time I make this I think I will add 1/2c. shredded mozzarella into the mix. This is a recipe that I will be making for game night for sure.

Miss M was cooking right alongside me, she made 2 beautiful little tea cakes and a scarecrow cookie.

She told me the recipe is a secret though, so I am unable to share it with you, sorry : )

Veggie Beef Lentil Soup

Veggie Beef Lentil Soup
Ingred;
1-14oz pkg lean smoked beef kielbasa
1-1/2c. dry lentils
1c. chopped carrots
1c. chopped onions
1/2c. chopped celery
4c. beef broth
2c. water
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1c. quartered mushrooms
1 can corn
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1t. each dried parsley and basil

In a large pot bring the broth, water and tomato sauce to a boil.
Stir in the lentils.
Add in the remaining ingredients and and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender.

I have been looking for lentil recipes and this is a version of one I found on AR, the recipe I started with is here. I ended up changing it quite a bit so I posted what I did and am giving you the link if you want to check out the original. This was really good, I am looking forward to eating the leftovers that's for sure :)

Pierogi Madness

I seem to be afflicted with Pierogi madness.

First we had the Homemade Pierogi's, from Donna at My Tasty Treasures.

Then we had Pierogi Lasagna, also from Donna, (maybe she has the madness too.)

Then I found a recipe for Pierogi Chowder on a blog called- A Thousand Soups, yummy.

I did a Google search of soup blogs and I found this great blog- A Thousand Soups.

I had to make this, it was WONDERFUL. And it got 4 kid thumb ups from the critics. I am posting the recipe, then at the end I will tell you what I did because I tweaked it just a wee bit.

Pierogi Chowder
Ingred;
2T. vegetable oil
2c. chopped onion
8c. water
3c. diced potatoes
2c. instant potato flakes
2c. milk
1/2lb American cheese, shredded or cubed
6oz wide egg noodles, cooked until tender
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil. Toss in onion and cook until translucent.
2. Add water and diced potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. When potatoes are tender, mash until broken up.
4. Add potato flakes and stir well.
5. Pour in milk and stir until smooth.
6. Stir in American cheese and mix until cheese is melted.
7. Blend in drained noodles and add salt and pepper to taste.

I used 2T. butter and 1T. olive oil instead of the vegetable oil. I used 4c. water 4c. chicken stock. For my instant potato flakes I used Betty Crockers Four Cheese Instant Potatoes. I had some cream that needed used up so I used that instead of milk and I never have American cheese so I used shredded Cheddar cheese. I also used white pepper instead of regular, because Miss M always complains if there is pepper speaks in her soup.

The soup was very very good and will be made many more times in my house. If you are a soup person you definitely need to go check out that soup blog she has many many great looking recipes, there are several there that I can't wait to try.

I am going to enter this in the Souper Sunday Soups, that is another great place to go look if you are wanting some new soup recipes to try out.

Antipasto Gratin

I have been experimenting on new dishes for a Game night we are having over the Holiday break. This recipe is one that I thought turned out really yummy :)

Antipasto Gratin
Ingred;
1/2c. marinated artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
1/2c. quartered reg. raw mushrooms
1/4c. sliced garlic stuffed green olives
1/2c. shredded mozzerella cheese
1/4c. french fried onions

Oven 425

Stir together the artichokes, mushrooms, and olives. Place in small 2 c. baking dish, bake for 10 minutes. Top with the shredded cheese and cook for 10 more minutes. Turn off oven, sprinkle on the french fried onions and leave in the oven for 3 minutes or less. Serve hot.

I made this in 4 small ramekins, I baked one and saved the others in the fridge for later. I don't know how well it would reheat and since I am the only one who lives here that would eat this I thought that might be the best way to go. I will top then off with cheese right before I get ready to cook them.

Wheew that's over

My crazy week is coming to an end, the kids last day of school before the break is tomorrow.
We just finished making 28 of these-

Chocolate Marshmallow Snowmen

and 28 baggies of this-

Parmesan Ranch Chex Mix
Ingred;
10c. Chex cereal
2c. pretzels
2c. cheese crackers
3T. butter, melted
1/2c. parmesan cheese
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

In a big bowl mix together the cereal, pretzels and crackers, pour the butter over top and mix until coated. Sprinkle over the cheese and ranch mix, stir until coated, heat in the microwave for 3 minutes. Spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.

Those are for Miss K's class. I am off the hook for Miss B's party because we took treats for Halloween. And K had his party today and all I had to do was send Root Beer for floats. Teachers gifts have been handed out, all my Christmas goodies are handed (I am on my way to deliver the very last one).
All my gifts are bought and hidden (we are Christmas Eve Wrappers around here) Pkgs and cards are in the mail.
I am ready to just sit back, relax and enjoy a break, NOT, with 4 + children, a puppy and a dog running around my house I don't see much relaxing in my future. But I AM ready for Christmas at least.

Do you have enough Christmas Goodies at your house yet?

I do, I finished my Christmas goodie baking and such this morning.

And I ask you, what is cuter than a button sized cookie?

Maybe a bowl of button size cookies, what do ya think :)


Peanut Butter Buttons
Ingred;
3/4c. creamy pb
1/2c. shortening
1/3c. sugar
1/3c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
3T. milk
1t. vanilla
1-1/2c. flour
1/2t. baking soda
1/2t. salt

sugar for rolling
chocolate chips

Oven 350
Beat PB and shortening, beat in the 2 sugars. Add the milk, egg and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt, let dough chill for 10 minutes, or overnight.
using a 1/4 t. scoop and roll balls of dough, roll into reg. sugar then place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate chip into each cookie.

I also made a few of these-

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Ingred;
1/2c. butter, softened
3/4c. packed brown sugar
1t. vanilla
2c. flour
1-14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2c. mini chocolate chips
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl beat together the butter and brown sugar, beat in the vanilla. Gradually add in the milk then the flour, stir in the mini chips. Form dough into 1 in balls and chill until your chocolate is melted.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass bowl stir after each 30 second interval until melted. Dip each ball into the chocolate and place on wax paper to dry. Store in the fridge.

And for Teacher gifts, along with a shopping gift card I gave them Cinnamon Pancake mixes. Which I have no picture of, sorry, but here is the recipe-

Cinnamon Pancake Mix

Ingred;
3c. flour
2T. sugar
2T. baking powder
4t. cinnamon
1-1/2t. salt

Mix all together and store in an airtight container.
To use the mix you-
Combine in a Medium bowl- 3/4c. milk, 1 egg, 2 T. oil and 1-1/3c, mix.
Mix until moistened and cook on a hot lightly greased griddle.

I need to bag up and give out a few more bags of these goodies and I am done with that. I hope you are all having a Wonderful Holiday Season.

Let's see if we can clear up the confusion

About?

Why Vegan's of course. Now I claim to know VERY LITTLE, so I probably shouldn't be doing this post BUT I wanted to do it :) SO I am sharing my list of Vegan Blogs with you all so that you can check them out.

I like meat, mostly, so I don't claim to be a Vegan or Vegetarian. I do like to be conscious of what my family is eating and what the effect of those things have on the world.

When you read about how many animals are raised and treated so cruelly it really curbs your want for meat. And you hear about all the weird crazy stuff that they are feeding animals now to get them to grow faster or bigger and it's scary to think that all that is finding it's way into your childrens stomachs. So we limit our meat intake, and make sure that it is local and not fed unhealthy stuff (and by we I mean I).

We eat very little meat at my house and what we do use is ALWAYS local farm raised, which is a perk of living where it is possible to get that for very close to the same price as other.

Growing up my parents had anywhere from 2-5 cows, they kept the females for milk and breeding and the steers (males) were butchered and stored. We knew what they ate and they were loved and well taken care of. And we had the chickens, gag- (remember the chickens?) Anyone who has had to raise, clean up after or butcher their own chickens, gag, will eat less chicken, remind me sometime to tell you the story of when my parents had over 10 roosters and we had to butcher them (my two younger then teen sisters were probably scarred for life). We didn't eat our chickens usually, they were kept mostly for eggs- and they were/are my Dad's pets.

So off the soapbox I get :)

Here is a list of Vegan Blogs I like to check out-

What the hell does a vegan eat
The Lazy Vegetarian
eat drink and be vegan
Andrea's easy vegan cooking
The Post Punk Kitchen

I looked up a definition for Vegan-

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind. The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights or welfare, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns.

For my Friend it is part of her culture, being from India that is the way they live and also, If I'm right, part of their religion.
Remember when I told you she was a big fan of chocolate??? Being a Vegan doesn't exclude you from liking or enjoying sweet things, it does make it a little harder to make those things. But there are a lot of places to look for recipes.

If you know someone who is allergic to eggs or milk products and you still want to cook things for them go online and check out some popular Vegan recipe sites and you will find TONS of great egg and milk free recipes. My favorite chocolate cake recipe is a vegan one.

I hope this cleared up things a little, if not sorry, remember I did claim to know very little :)

Diamonds may be a Girls Best Friend BUT-

What about the friend who gives you diamonds????
That makes her BETTER than diamonds!!!
Thank you Christi!
I <3 you more than Diamonds, you are one Wonderful Blog Buddie!
I received this award from Christi- Who has the Thyme?



I am passing this along to-

Kys- Stir Fry Awesomeness

Miss M has a little friend (she's 7) who's Christmas list only has 2 things on it-
Diamonds
A Horse
Her mother is wondering how disappointed she will be this Christmas when neither one of those makes an appearance. Maybe I should I send this to her as well :)



I made these for breakfast and thought I would share-


Everybody grab a muffin and some OJ.

I hope there were enough to go around, if not- here is the recipe- you may have to go make your own :)


Brownie Muffins
Ingred;

1 pkg brownie mix
2c. flour
1t. baking soda
2t. baking powder
1c. milk
2/3c. oil
2 eggs

Oven 375-
Mix together the brownie mix, flour, baking soda, baking powder.
In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, oil and eggs.
Then fold together the two mixtures,
spoon into a muffin pan and bake for 30 min.

I used a family size Betty Crocker Brownie mix and they were a little dry, so I will be using a reg. size mix next time. Also I added in 1/4c. wheat germ and 1/8c. ground flax to my flour to make it 2c. And I used olive oil as my oil.
I baked them in a regular size muffin pan and it only took about 20 min. maybe a little less.

Me Like Cookies

I am a big fan of Cookie Monster, seriously how could you not like a Cookie Loving Monster?

This recipe is one I found a few years ago when I was looking for a Vegan Cookie recipe. I liked to bake and send cookies with Hubby to the Lab he worked in and there was a girl he worked with who was from India, she is a Vegan. So whenever I sent in treats I would have Hubby calling me asking what was in them because she wanted to eat them but wasn't sure if they met her dietary requirements. This girl is also a big fan of chocolate, so I went online and googled chocolate vegan recipes. I found this recipe- Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. I baked up a batch of them and a batch of regular chocolate chip cookies and sent them to work with Hubby. He told me that the Vegan ones disappeared almost as a soon as he set them out, they were the favorite hands down.

This is probably my families favorite cookie and we make them pretty often. I like to make them without the chocolate chips in them, but everyone else here always out-votes me. We have made them with reg. chocolate chips, white and peanut butter ones. The first pkg of chips I grabbed today happened to be Peanut Butter Chips so that's what I went with.
So, being Vegan, these are completely egg and dairy free- no animal products. The cookie is a dense, chewy, brownie like cookie. Be careful not to over-bake these.

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingred;
3/4c. canola oil (I use olive oil)
2c. sugar
2t. vanilla

1T + 1t. ground flax seed
1/2c. soy milk (If don't care about them being non-vegan you can use reg. milk)

2c. flour
3/4. c. cocoa powder
1t. baking soda
1/2t. salt
1c. chocolate chips

Oven 350.

Blend together the flax seed and milk, set aside. Beat together the sugar and oil, add in the flax/milk, stir, add in the vanilla.

Beat in the cocoa powder, then the salt and baking soda. Stir in the flour, it makes a pretty stiff dough. Stir in your chocolate chips. Place by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for exactly 10 min.

How long to you keep Leftover Turkey?

I was given strict orders to leave the leftover turkey alone, no cooking it up into casseroles or soups. Hubby insists that leftover turkey needs to be eaten slowly over the course of the next 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS!?!?! I don't think so, I told him he had ONE week to get his fill in then I was using it up, he has one more day. And as long as no one tells him I will let you all in on a little secret- I used some of his leftover turkey to make this-

I have been wanting to try this, I had actually been planning on making it with chicken but then remembered I had LOTS of leftover ready-to-go turkey in my fridge, begging to be used. And what Hubby doesn't know, won't hurt him :)

Turkey Basil Pate

Ingred;
1c. cubed white turkey meat/ or chicken
1/2c. mayo
1t. Mrs. Dash onion and herb seasoning
1t. onion powder
1/4t. each- salt & pepper
1t. minced basil

Put all into a food processor and blend until smooth. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap, press the mixture into the bowl, wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Tip it out of the bowl onto your serving dish and remove the plastic wrap, serve with crackers or toast points.

You can definitely trade out the turkey for chicken and all the seasonings are optional, you can sub other things or use only the salt and pepper. This was very quick, easy, super good and our little secret ;)

How long do you keep leftover Turkey around? What about leftovers in general?

Fabulous Giveaways!

There are a few blogs I follow that are having, or frequently have some wonderful giveaways, or post about others giveaways, like A Nut in a Nutshell , if you are interested. They are-

A Nut in a Nutshell

Menopausal New Mom

The Mother Load

I need do better about posting about the great giveaways you all do, I will do better, I Promise, Cross my Heart :)

Also my 200th post is coming up and it will be time for a giveaway here! I have been trying to decide what would be a good one??? Any suggestions?? What have been some good giveaways that you have seen in BlogLand?

Here are my pictures from Thanksgiving, the only ones I got, the recipe links are HERE.

Banana Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

This is my Grama's Fluff Recipe, we turned it orange, it tastes like a dreamcicle :)

Grama's Fluff

Ingred;
1-12oz can evap milk
1-6oz pkg jello
1/4c. lemon juice
1-3/4c. boiling water
1c. sugar
2c. graham cracker crumbs

Chill the can of milk in the refrigerator overnight. Dissolve jello in the hot water and chill until partially set,like thick syrup. (about an hour)

(This is the part where I forget that I am making something and my jello sets completely, after doing this 3 TIMES the day before Thanksgiving I finally put my 3rd batch of completely set jello in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1-1/2 minute and it got to the right consistency, hurray!)
(I think I need my own cooking show -Cooking with the Idiot- move over Rachel Ray!)

Whip your syrupy jello until it's light and fluffy, stir in the lemon juice and sugar, set aside. Whip the milk until it forms peaks, fold in the jello mixture. Spread half of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, pour the fluff over that and top with the remaining crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

This a Holiday Traditional Recipe for my Family, it's not a Holiday Dinner without this for dessert.

Reviewed, Awarded, Googled, Pleased and Frustrated

I have been honored with a review by the Blog Brew Review.
How cool is that! You need to check it out, I have already found a couple of great new blogs to follow :) The link to read my review is HERE, I hope you will go check it out- like I said, very Cool.

I received 2 new awards this one is from 5th Sister -


Thanks you 5th Sister! I want to pass this on to-

Menopausal New Mom

Holly- from In the Kitchen with Holly, her blog The Tipsy Cook is also Hot :)

Erin- from The Mother Load


I received this award-


From Holly at 504 Main, Thank you Holly!!

With this award I need to tell you 10- I think it was 10, random things about me- so here is me being random :)

1-I learned to bake bread and rolls when I was about 9 or 10, I took yeast breads in 4-H and got a blue ribbon at the fair for my loaf of bread :)

2-I hate chickens, I don't even enjoy eating chicken. Growing up we had to help clean out the chicken house, gag, gag, even the memory makes me gag. Chickens are just nasty, they poop everywhere, leave their lice filled feathers everywhere and even bite- or should that be peck- people. Nasty.

3-I HATE conflict, I can't do it, I am a run away and hide person. Unless my children are involved and then I am the mother bear.

4-I like things to be even, symmetrical, matching, I have issues- it's probably stems from having to clean out the chicken house :)

5-I can't stand clutter, it drives me nuts- I like everything to be neatly in it's place- I guess that goes along with #4- Dang those Chickens!

6-I LOVE to read, I can read a good size-200/300 page novel in a day or 2 if it's good. I will stay up all night if I have to :)

7-I cook when I am antsy or frustrated, so if you come over and my cookie jar is overflowing- Watch Out!

8-I carved my first pumpkin this year, ever since I was a small child the smell of raw pumpkin has made me very ill- no clue why. So usually when Hubby and the kids carve pumpkins I go shopping. This year I braved it and helped out- I had a migraine for a couple days but I survived and it was kind of fun- in a gross, slimy sort of way.

9-I LOVE the smell of Coffee, it reminds me of my Grandpa. I like to stroll slowly down the coffee isle at the Grocery Store and I get my Coffee fix that way :)

10-Blogging has turned out to be so much more fun that I could ever have thought, I never would have thought I could do this- I am hopeless with the computer- but I figured it out as I went and am still learning new things. Blogging is Awesome :):):):)

I am passing this onto some Sweet Blogs-

1-Kim- Stirring the Pot

2-Kys - Stir-fry Awesomness

3-Bashful Toast

4-Nut in a Nutshell

5-Monica- Lick the bowl Good

6-Donna- My Tasty Treasures

7-Chicago Mom- What's for Dinner?

8-5th Sister

9- Willougby- This stop Willoughby

10- Raouly's Girl- Who has the Thyme?

5th Sister posted a fun one this morning- at least I think it was this morning, my day has been a bit crazy today.

Anyway what you do is Google your first name and "needs". Then type the 1st 15 headings as your "needs".

1-Lissaloo needs Loopy Knitters

2-Lissaloo needs a Spunky Monkey Profile (that's scary)

3-Lissaloo needs Krafting with Kids

4-Lissaloo needs Help! I need to immigrate! (lol, nice)

5-Lissaloo needs a fencing contractor

Thanks 5th Sister that was a blast!

I only did 5 this post is already on the longish- (my Pooh Bear word of the day)- side :)

Onto the rest of my "intriguing" post title description- I am pleased with all the Great awards and the Cool review.

BUT I am frustrated with my little Miss M, frustrated may be putting it a bit light, she is driving me downright crazy!!!!! I can't remember when the last time she slept in her own bed all night was, and getting her to take a bath has become a daily battle. Screaming, crying battle.

You may need a little background info, Miss M has SI- Sensory Integration Disorder, it's a form of Autism.
When she was a baby I knew there was something different about her, but when I brought it up with her pediatrician she just told me it was fine, it's just colic or teething or general crabbiness. But her being my 4th child I wasn't buying that, we had been through all of those things and this didn't fit.

When my phone would ring- she would cry hysterically, when the door bell rang- she would cry hysterically, when I tried to bath her- she would cry hysterically, when sweet little old ladies in the grocery store would smile at her- yeah you got it- she would cry hysterically.

I couldn't vacuum the floor or listen to music, it was crazy. When Miss M was about 1 her pediatrician moved and we went to a new one, who knew right off the bat what I was talking about, because her 9 year old son has the same thing. While there is nothing to be done except teach her that things are ok and not get frustrated with her- um yeah- but there definitely is an issue.

She has gotten over the fear of strangers and is now too the extreme the other way where everyone is her friend. She still hides from the vacuum, won't let me get farther than a room away after I put her to bed, and is now insisting the bathtub drain is going to get her.

During the day when it's just me and her at home she is my shadow and never lets me out of eyesight. But if we are out shopping and she is little Miss Free Spirit. I am at my wits end.

On the other hand she is extremely bright, she started talking before she was a year old, by 1-1/2 she was stringing together sentences and by 2 it was all old hat. Somedays I can only wish for silence. The child is super smart, her favorite game in the car is Spelling, I give her a 3 letter word and she spells it.

Anyhow I guess I will just have to take the good, with the crazy. Sorry for being a complainer, I got it off my chest though and now I'm better.

Oh yeah, I have been wondering- some of you have blog names/fake names and sometimes your real names pop up and I never know how you feel about other people using your real names but I wanted to ask. If you have feeling one way or another please let me know.

I am cordially yours-
Lissaloo ( which is one of my nick names in real life- sad huh? ) Or just plain Lissa :)

What is cute and fluffy and white all over?

The newest member of our Family!

Meet Princess Sophie-

See, she is Cute (would I let anything not cute chew on my camera strap?!?!?!?)-

And she is Fluffy (she is non-shedding so that means lots of brushing)-

And she is White all over (blends in with the snow, note to self- do NOT let puppy out in snow storms)-

Princess Sophie is a Bichon Frise, she is 8 weeks old and very sweet. She was a gift to the kiddos from their Grandma, and Auntie.
How can you tell that she's a Princess you might ask? - For the simple fact that her servants -Minions- CARRY her everywhere.

Minion #1

Minion #2

(Minions #3 and #4 haven't been photographed in the act yet)

She is adorable and we are loving her bunches, I'm glad that she came just in time for Thanksgiving break so the kiddos can enjoy her lots before going back to the daily school grind.

We are sending out a great big THANK YOU to Grandma L and Aunt J!!!!!


I also want to send out a HELLO to my new Followers, and old of course, you guys Rock :)
I am always surprised at how small the blog world is, and it's full of so many great people and great stuff! I love it :)

I try to follow those who follow my Blog and I will comment on blogs that leave comments on mine. Sometime I can't get to or find a blog when a new person follows me, I think that is what happened with this great Blog-

Our Journey-
But I found you now! Super cute blog :)

The Mother Load-
Who is having a really great Giveaway right now!

A Nut in a Nutshell-
Fun to read and has lots of great book deals!

Menopausal New Mom-
Who makes me laugh, very fun :)

And Wishmaster-
Whom I don't know much about except I do know they have a New Moon preview on their side bar so that works for me!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, Okay I know I am a little bit early. But I just got my turkey into the fridge to thaw and I got all excited!!!! The kids are out of school for the next week and I don't really think I am going to get anything else posted until after Thanksgiving. Soooooo I thought I would post my Thanksgiving Menu and recipes and ask for a little teeny weeny bit of help. First the recipes, then the help k?

Crockpot Wassail

I am making Turkey (duh, of course), I really wanted to try brining (spelled?) it but I don't think I am brave enough, maybe next year. I am however going to make a Rosemary, Sage Butter to stick under the skin and rub all over my Turkey- Yum :)

Stuffing, Stove Top, I am not a big stuffing fan or I would mess with it more I guess. Hubby is the stuffing fan and He likes Stove Top so that's how we roll around here.


Fluffy Whipped Mashed Potatoes

Turkey and Onion Gravy

Green Bean Casserole- still undecided if this is happening.

Veggie Platter

Baked Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingred;
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered
1/4c. butter
1/4c. cream
1t. vanilla
1/2t. cinnamon
1T. brown sugar

Topping;
1/2c. pecans
1/2c. brown sugar
1/2t. cinnamon

Oven 350
Boil sweet potatoes until soft, drain, whip with remaining ingredients. Spread into and 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with the topping ingredients in the order given. Bake for about 20 min. Turn oven to broil, watch it closely I think I cooked it about 3 minutes on broil. Serve hot.

Rolls- my favorite recipe is here at AR.

My Gram's Lemon Fluff recipe- turned blue :) (I will post this later with a picture)

Pumpkin Pie


Banana Cream Pie- AR

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie- AR

Eggnog Creme Brulee


Raspberry Tiramisu

For appetizers- or game time later that evening-
I am making my Salmon cheeseball
and the Green olive Artichoke Dip- with leftover rolls.

Just posting all that made me feel stuffed!
Now I know I went a little crazy with the desserts but it's my favorite part :)
I was looking over my Menu and realized there was something missing............ Did you notice? Go look again, I will wait.............. Yes, you're right CHOCOLATE!!!!! How could I have forgotten the Chocolate!!!
I really can't decide what to make though, I already have 3 pies and I don't really feel like a cake would work. So I am asking all of you for help, pretty pretty please :) With Vanilla Sugar on top???
I need an amazing chocolate recipe to round out my Menu and I am counting on YOU.

Thank you all and if I don't post again until after the Big Day-

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cookies, Cookies and more COOKIES-

So remember yesterday when I said I was off to make cookies?? I made cookies alright, it's been awhile so I went a little overboard, I wanted to have them for Thanksgiving and to try out some new ones to practice for Christmas cookies. The result? LOTS of cookies!! :)
Not that anyone is complaining around here :)

This first cookie is a variation of a cookie my Gram used to make, it's her recipe.

We always went to my Grandparents house for Thanksgiving and the cookie jar was ALWAYS full. As my Grandparents got older sometimes there would be store bought cookies in it and my Gram would joke and say that Grandpa made the cookies, because he was the one who did the shopping.
When she made cookies it was always a huge batch and when it got to the end of the stirring she would call Grandpa in to help her stir. They are the sweetest couple in the world, they were definitely made for each other.
They, very conservatively, had only 2 children, a girl and a boy, who then went on to give them 17 grandchildren, lol. As for Great-Grandchildren I am making a guess of 30 + 2 on the way. They had no idea it would happen that way :)
My Wonderful Grandpa passed away last year and he is very much missed. The holidays last year were really hard, I thought this year might be easier but I know he is still missed much by all. He had a long battle with Parkinsons, cancer and heart problems so I know he is no longer in pain, but I still miss him very much.

Cookies, back to the cookies, this cookie is my favorite of hers. I have many happy memories of making these with her-

Thumbprints

Ingred;
1-1/4c. flour
3T. sugar
1/2c. butter

Oven 325
Stir together the flour and sugar- cut in the butter- if dough is too dry add in a little water.
Roll into balls, place on greased cookies sheet and make thumbprint in them. Bake for 15-18 minutes. When done immediately fill with jam or jelly.

I added green food coloring and mint flavoring to the dough. Then I made a chocolate mint ganache for the filling-
1/4c. chocolate mint coffee cream
3/4c. chocolate chips.
Then topped them with andes mints.

These are called Monkey Peanut Butter Bars I got the recipe for AR, they turned out pretty good, the peanut butter frosting needs to be doubled though. The recipe is HERE.

Then I made an old favorite from AR- Big Soft Ginger Cookies. These are Awesome. Recipe is HERE.

And last, and my childrens favorite of the bunch, Andes Creme De Menthe Chunk Cookies, from Donna's- My Tasty Treasures- Thank You Donna! The only thing I did different, I didn't chill the dough like I was suppose to, I just went ahead and baked it. No patience, remember? :)

The result of my crazed baking?

COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!!!!!