Blogiversary

How sweet it is!
Sound the bell (even if it is a cowbell I got as a door prize from Chick-Fil-A).
Should we cook up a little something special to celebrate?

It has been one whole year since I started blogging. It's funny how something I started on a whim so I could be accountable on a diet actually has become so important. Actually the blogiversary (I know it's not really a word, but I like it) was yesterday, but it was an unexpectedly busy day and I never got time to finish my post.

I went back and read that very first post and was amazed, I guess I should be depressed, at how little has changed for me. I'm still struggling with my dieting. I had to laugh because the day I started the blog Deb and I had begun a no flour, no sugar diet. I didn't last so long on that one! Even then I was bemoaning my love to bake and my sweet tooth. But here it is a year (and several pounds) later and guess what I've finally had to do to get even a modicum of success...step away from the sugar.

I'm still gardening in my same little plot of suburbia. My vegetable boxes are full and the patio is lined with containers full of peppers, herbs, and other veggies. The peach trees we planted last year have really grown and I'm hoping for a good crop of peaches this summer. The blueberries are ripening and there's squash growing in the flowerbed. Thus begins my battle with the bunny rabbits to see who gets to eat them. They usually win the blueberry/squash battle, but I plant them and hope anyway.

Y'all would laugh if you could see some of my containers. I got these huge terracotta pots at a yard sale. Well, my mom got them and then passed them to me. We're guessing they were used at some chain smokers' wedding because painted on the side of each one in pretty silver script they say..."Butt Pott". Seriously? Who does that? These pots are going to get a paint job as soon as it quits raining around here. I just needed to go ahead and get my stuff planted. If I plant my jalapenos in a butt pott should I call them poopers instead of peppers? If so, I'm also growing tootmatoes, oh,no-ions and rad...well, we'd better still call them radishes.

Even if I did accidentally stumble into blogging, it has been such a great experience. I've talked with people from all around the world and been blessed to share a little of my life with you all. Whether it's cooking a recipe, sitting together to study the Bible, or laughing at our craziness, you've let me have a part in your world. And for that I am eternally grateful.

Happy blogiversary!

Oops, almost forgot Rednesday. Visit everyone over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Changin' the Rules

I am really struggling with this no flour/no sugar diet. I seems like the mere word NO at the beginning of flour and sugar makes it irresistible. I keep fighting against it and then giving in to it, then kicking myself for being weak willed. Woulda, coulda, shoulda...but I didn't. And I'm stuck in a vicious cycle. Wishing I'd done something different in my yesterdays doesn't do me any good. It's something I can't change. What I can do, is change today my attitude and thinking. What am I wishing my tomorrow will be? I have to make the decision to do at least one thing to get there--and act on it--today! So, I'm changin' the rules. I'm throwing out the No Flour/No Sugar diet and making up my own rules. Here's what I've got:

1.) No to dieting. I'm not following some sort of list, some rule. It just makes me rebellious.

2.) Yes to choices. I will say yes to making smarter choices for myself. When I'm hungry (or offered food when I'm not), I'm going to ask myself a question. "What is the best possible thing I can choose for myself right now?" Because you know what, I had one of those light bulb moments. It's not about whether or not I eat the M&M (which I did and is what caused me to re-evaluate myself)and torture myself over a number on the scale, it IS about what I'm willing to do for myself. Every time I approach a meal, I'm choosing to do something good for myself by eating healthy foods or smaller portions or I'm choosing to harm myself by filling myself with junk or stuffing myself to the point I'm miserable just because it's yummy. Asking myself this question will make me focus on just what I'm doing.

3.) No to exercise. I'm not going to feel guilty for not doing some sort of exercise video or going to some gym or that I'm not running marathons. Being non-athletic does not make me a bad person.

4.) Yes to moving. I will say yes to taking at least 15 minutes for myself a day to purposefully move in some way. Maybe I'll take a walk, maybe I'll dance with Meredith, maybe I will do the exercise video, but when I feel like not because guilt is beating me over the head.

So there you have it. I'm changin' the rules for myself. I realized that the times the weight does come off is not when I'm changing the kind of foods I eat. It's when I change the way I look at the food, and the way I look at myself. We'll see what happens now. Here's to Friday, and to letting go of rules.

Strawberry Picking

I think you can tell where we've been again. We were at the strawberry patch with our friends Haley, Kate, and Judah. The kids had a great time picking out the perfect ones and fun eating them once we got home. It's always great to spend time with friends. I was afraid the picking would be sparse today, but there were still plenty of strawberries there and the lady told us they'll still be open through the end of May. We may need to have strawberry picking, round three.

I guess I'd better give an update/confession on the diet progression. I weighed this morning and am still at exactly eight pounds lost. Before you congratulate me on at least staying at the same place, please know that number has fluctuated back up rather often. I have been terrible about sticking to the no flour/no sugar rules. In fact, my day last Friday consisted of doughnuts for breakfast, doughnuts in a meeting, cupcake for lunch, pizza and birthday cake for supper. It's a miracle I didn't go into some kind of sugar coma! There it is all laid out for you. I probably just lost a few more pounds from all that guilt I'd been carrying around.

I haven't forgotten about being creative. I have actually made a few attempts at drawing something and then quickly through it in the trash. I seem to be suffering from some sort of creativity block. Maybe I'd do better with guidelines, someone telling what I should make. Any ideas on what I should do?

Chair Recover with Vintage Pillowcases

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to write yesterday. I missed you all. The garden and yard were calling my name. There were plants to find homes for and vegetables to water, pruning, weeding, putting out pinestraw. The list could go on.

Today is a new day and I've got lots to share. I guess I got braver after my first attempt at creativity (homely though it was--maybe we'll just call it homespun, that has a little more flair). I had a project in my mind and decided to go for it. After a furious vacuuming and dusting session this morning, I settled down to recover my desk chair. I tried to document it for you. I only used a couple of vintage pillowcases that I had in the closet and some buttons from my pail. I sewed them on, slipped them over, and that was that. Now I'm contemplating what my next project could be. Oh yeah, I've still got to get material for that dress.


Here's my desk chair that I started with and a couple of vintage pillowcases that my mom picked up for me at a yardsale.



I took apart the seat. It was just a matter of flipping in over and unscrewing it from the frame. I simply stuffed the cushion into the case like it was a pillow, reached underneath and adjusted the fabric to suit me, and then screwed it back to the base. I left the decorative edge of the pillowcase hanging down like a little skirt in front. I thought I'd taken a picture of it, but I must have forgotten.

Next, I picked a few buttons from my jar of extras to embellish the top and help to hold it steady.


I wanted to show y'all this sweet little button. It's an extra from some buttons my grandmother used to make me a dress when I was a little girl. I guess I must have been thinking of my Granny when I made this project, because I also used a button that went to a dress she wore. Now I'll think of her each time I sit at my desk to work or create.


Here again is the finished product. A cute addition to my room.

I also need to give you tonight's recipe. Before I do, let me mention that the Cheesy Chili Soup was a big hit with my family, especially the kids. They loved the dallop of sour cream. They thought it was the greatest thing to get to swirl it and stir it in. Who knew? I'm going to have to remember that trick for other recipes too. Tonight is Pineapple Burgers. They are wonderful. I tried this recipe right after we got married and we've eaten it for many years. It came from a very old Betty Crocker cookbook for cooking for two. I've tweaked it over the years to make it easier. Here's my version of "Betty's" recipe.

Pineapple Burgers with Spicy Sauce
Hint--when you pat out hamburgers for the grill, make them big and thin. Better to have a raw patty that looks like a pancake because it'll draw up as it cooks into the size you want. Otherwise, you end up with those tiny, really fat burgers that look more like meatballs.

1 small jar pineapple rings 1/2 c. ketchup
1 lb ground beef 2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1/2 c. brown sugar

Drain pineapple. Divide meat and pat out into 4 thin patties. Place burgers on grill or broiler and cook to desired doneness, around 5 minutes on each side. Grill pineapple slices for two minutes. In a small saucepan, blend brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Top burgers with grilled pineapple and serve with sauce.

By the way, does anyone know what I can do with lemon balm? I've got a big beautiful bush full and would like to use it in some way. It smells so great. I'd like to do something more than just keep breaking it off to smell it.

On the diet front, I've been a very naughty girl. We went out for a Dairy Queen Blizzard the other night. How was I supposed to resist that? Then I made a nice chocolate dessert to go in the kids' lunchboxes. I had to try it to see if it was any good. I wouldn't want to send them to school with something yucky (wink, wink). Someone needs to mail me a little package of motivation.

Have a great weekend!

I've Been Making Up Some Menus...

Meredith likes for me to sing 'I've Been Working on the Railroad', but this morning I'm singing it a different way. I've been in the kitchen (no, Dinah wasn't there with me) and looking through my recipes for our menus for the week. I guess I was feeling adventurous because I pulled out a bunch from my book of recipes I want to try to go with some of my old favorites. I always like to try at least one new recipe a week. This week I'm going to try five. It isn't that much of a leap. I know the sorts of things my family likes, and I can look at a recipe and pretty much know how it will taste. I once saw this show on the Science Channel where people say they taste words. Maybe that's me only just with food. Don't worry, I'm not serious, although I've spilled enough stuff on some of my recipe cards that you could give them a lick and know how they'll taste. I'm a good cook, not a neat one.

So what's for supper this week? Something easy. Spring is here and there are lots of things to be done outside. I don't want to spend time cooped up inside in the evening. I want things that are simple or that I can make ahead of time or stick in the crockpot. This will be our week of simple suppers. Enjoy, and go play outside.

I'll post Monday and Tuesday's recipes and then come back tomorrow and post a few more. Oh, I'd better tattle about my diet. Someone asked how it was going. Not that great. I'd really hoped the weight would come right off (after all, it hopped right on), but that would've been too nice. It's staying the same, or going up a pound and then back down. Not what I had in mind. I haven't been the best about sticking to the no flour/no sugar rule. I've been mostly a good girl but I have let it creep in here and there. I'm going to be more diligent about it now and (gulp) try to take the plunge and cut out other carbs as well and see if that makes more of a difference. I say that as I'm fixing Rice Consumme for supper. Do you know how much I love Rice Consumme? Absolutely no family get-together is complete without my Aunt Betty's Rice Consumme. I think I can, I think I can...

Monday--Grilled Sausage, Steamfresh Corn, Rice Consumme, Cheddar Biscuits

Tuesday--Chicken Pecan, Fruit Cup Medley

Wednesday--Cheesy Chili Soup, leftover biscuits, Applesauce

Thursday--Venison Tenderloin, Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls

Friday--Hawaiin Burgers, Frozen French Fries, Salad

Saturday--Homemade Pizza

Sunday--Chicken Salad, Chips, Oranges


Rice Consumme
Did I give y'all this recipe before? I can't remember, but I don't think so. Even if I did, it's so nice I'll print it twice. It's my version of my Aunt Betty's recipe.

1 onion, finely chopped 1/4 c. butter
1 c. rice 2 cans beef consumme

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Saute onion and rice in butter. Combine all ingredients in a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil (this is important). Bake 1 hour.


Cheese Garlic Biscuits
This recipe I got from my Aunt Betty's friend Audrey (guess I've got Betty on the brain today). It tastes a lot like those biscuits at Red Lobster.

2 c. Bisquick 1/4 c. butter, melted
2/3 c. buttermilk 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese parsley flakes

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix Bisquick, buttermilk, and cheddar until a soft dough forms. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Mix butter and garlic; brush over warm biscuits. Sprinkle with parsley flakes to garnish. Makes 10-12.


Chicken Pecan
This is one of those new recipes I'm trying. I've got some pecans in the freezer that need using. I got this recipe off a bag of pecans and thought it sounded good.

3 c. cooked chicken, cut in strips 2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. butter 1/2 c. finely chopped celery
2 tsp. chicken bouillon 1/4 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c. flour 1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning 4 halves english muffins, toasted
2 c. milk

In a 2 st. saucepan, melt butter. Add bouillon. Blend in flour and poultry seasoning. Gradually add milk and lemon juice; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in celery, red bell pepper, chicken and pecans. Cook until heated through. Spoon over toasted english muffins. Garnish with pecan halves. Yields 4 servings.


Fruit Cup Medley
Here's another new one for us to try. Fruit, sour cream, honey...it can't be bad.

1/2 c. sour cream 1 large banana, sliced
1/2 c. orange juice 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. honey 1 can pineapple chunks, drained
2 c. chopped apples 1/2 c. chopped peanuts

Combine sour cream, orange juice, and honey; chill for 1 hour. Coat apples and bananas with lemon juice, tossing gently. Add pineapple. Spoon fruit into serving dishes and top with sour cream mixture. Yields 6 servings.

I Lost My Mind...and Found a Pound

"Pride cometh before a fall", it tells us in the Bible. If only I'd listened. After bragging on losing a pound yesterday, you'll never guess what I did. And after going for two whole weeks with no sugar snacks. I...ate...two pieces of Easter candy. Why!?! What was I thinking?

I was hungry and it just kept calling to me from where I'd stuffed it in my drawer. I succombed to the calling and ate two pieces of pure ping-off-the-wall sugar. I sure did pay for it this morning. Guess who came running back home? Yep, that pound I'd lost.

Oh well, lets move on to happier, and less fattening, thoughts. I thought I'd show y'all a few pictures from the yard. The weather here is absolutely beautiful, and I've been planting vegetables and flowers. Hope your day was full of sunshine and sweetness too.


My happy little bird by the door.


A box full of onions.

Redemption

Today is a better day! I think I worked the kinks out of my comment problem. Thanks for trying it Rebecca. And when I hopped on the scale this morning, those two and a half pounds (which had no business being there) were gone and they'd taken another one with them. I guess that was their way of making up for causing me distress yesterday. Now my total loss is seven pounds. Hopefully the losses will continue. I think that, after having made a chocolate cake yesterday and not even being tempted to lick the icing spoon, I earned another pound off just for will power.

The menu idea for today is grilled hamburgers and I wanted to pass along my favorite hamburger recipe. It comes out of one of my favorite cookbooks, that's full of great recipes and pictures. It's the Reader's Digest Down Home Cooking the New, Healthier Way. Normally I wouldn't pay too much attention to a healthy cookbook but this one really does have yummy food and it shows you how to make substitutions so that some classic Southern recipes are a little less artery-clogging.

Blue Ribbon Burgers
This recipe calls for refrigerating the meat overnight. I have also used the same recipe and grilled them right away. It'll still taste great, but the longer they can sit, the better they will be.

2 lb. ground beef 1 tsp. lemon pepper
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 6 hamburgers
1 tsp. hot red pepper sauce hamburger fixings

In a medium-size bowl, mix the beef, Worcestershire, red pepper sauce, and lemon pepper until well blended. Form into six 6-inch patties, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the grill or broiler. Grill the patties over medium-hot coals or broil 4 inches from the heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium or until the burgers are the way you like them. Serve on buns with your favorite fixings.

Another Week & This Diet Doth Reek

I am so technically challenged! If there were a sign I could post on this blog that said "Techno Idiot", I'd have to do it. Many of you have told me you wanted to post but couldn't get it to work. I think I fixed the problem, but I can't guarantee it. Some brave soul is going to have to try and post a comment again and then let me know how it works.

Apparently this is going to be a week full of challenges. When I hopped on the scale this morning it said I'd GAINED two pounds. Needless to say, the scale and I are no longer on speaking terms. I promise I didn't eat any leftover Easter candy or dive into a box of doughnuts. Oh no, I refrained from all those things. And this is my reward!?! The only thing I know I did differently was to eat out more. It was a crazy week where we ended up eating out a lot more than usual. I tried to make good choices but there was a little flour involved in the pizza I ate from Pizza Hut, although it was a thin crust veggie pizza. Somebody needs to give me a break. Do you hear that scale? No more flour, no more flour, no more flour.

On to happier topics. I did manage to get some new flowers and get them planted (bye, bye procrastination). I'll have to get some pictures of them to show you. I need to get some more pinestraw down in the bed first. That sounds like a job for later today. Home Depot had some really nice looking plants in yesterday. I got a couple of Fireworks dahlias that are so beautiful. I've never planted them before, hopefully they will survive our hot weather.

It is Monday, so that means a new list of menus. I personally am behind on last week's and still need to cook that beef tenderloin. Here is what's cooking at my house:

Monday--Fiesta Chicken, Yellow Rice, Salad

Tuesday--Grilled Hamburgers, Oven Fries, Fruit Salad

Wednesday--BLT Sandwiches (sorry it's a quickie, I've got PTO), chips

Thursday--London Broil, Western Potatoes, Carrot Coin Casserole (you know I've got lots of carrots to use)

Friday--Grilled Sausage, Pasta Side, Green Beans

Saturday--Homemade Pizza

Sunday--Pork Chop Casserole, Brown Rice, Leftover Vegetables

Here is the recipe for today's chicken dish. I don't remember where I got this one, but I've had it for years. I need to start keeping track of that better.

Fiesta Chicken
You'll probably want to use the mild Rotel if you have little kids or someone with stomach issues, otherwise it's a little spicy. If you don't like spicy at all, you could use diced tomatoes instead. The chicken breasts are boneless and skinless.

1/4 c. flour 2 cans Rotel (undrained)
1/4 tsp. salt 4 green onions. sliced
1/4 tsp. pepper 1 (2 1/4 oz.) can sliced olives, drained
6 chicken breasts sour cream
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil cheddar cheese, grated

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Roll chicken in flour. Brown chicken in heated oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Rotel, onions, and olives; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over yellow rice and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Serve sour cream on the side.

this, that, and some puddin'

This week has not been kind to me on the scale. I haven't gained anymore, but I haven't lost a pound. After losing six pounds last week, it has been discouraging. I've got one of those Weight Watcher scales that measures down to tenths of pounds and I have lost eight-tenths of a pound, but that isn't a lot of comfort. I have been being such a good girl too. Even when they had spaghetti, I didn't have any. I didn't touch one crumb of the cake from Easter. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

There is one bright spot in these diet doldrums to report. I made a new best friend at the grocery store yesterday. Well, not literally, but to this sweets-deprived girl, it's pretty close. I discovered a new kind of pudding. Jello makes this sugar free, fat free kind called Cheesecake pudding. Now it doesn't taste much like cheesecake to me, but it's very yummy. It does taste a lot like the cake batter icecream I like at Bruster's.

Since I'm already talking about food, I might as well give you some recipes. I've been so busy talking about everything else this week I forgot to do it earlier. The one for the Country-Fried Steak is one of our favorites, a good Southern comfort food. The recipe for the chicken is one I am trying for the first time. I cut it out of a Family Circle magazine. I've got some buttermilk I need to use. I'll let you know how it turns out. Hope you enjoy.

Country-Fried Steak

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided 1/8 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. pepper, divided 1 c. water
1 1/2 lb. cubed steak vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. flour, divided 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken stock

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper over steaks. In one bowl stir together remaining salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and 1 1/2 c. flour. In another bowl stir baking soda into water. Dip each steak into water, then dredge in flour. Pour 1/2" of oil in a heavy skillet; heat to 360 degrees. Fry steaks 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain steaks on a paper towel. Drain oil, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings and bits. Into drippings, whisk 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1/4 c. flour. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat for one minute. Whisk in broth, stirring constantly, for five minutes. Serve with steaks. Serves 4-6


Classic Buttermilk Fried Chicken
from Family Circle, The recipe calls for 2 chickens cut into 8 serving pieces each, I'd rather just use chicken breasts, so that's what I put on the recipe.

1 c. buttermilk 1 tsp. black pepper
8 chicken breasts (or pieces) 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt 3 c. solid vegetable shortening

Combine buttermilk and chicken, coating each piece. Stir together flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika on waxed paper. One piece at a time, drain from buttermilk and roll in seasonings. Using two skillets, place 1 1/2 c. shortening in each. Heat over med-hi until it reaches 360 degrees. (If it starts to smoke, turn the heat down.) Carefully place chicken in skillets and cover. Cook, covered, about 22 minutes or until brown and crispy, turning chicken several times. Transfer to paper towels. Gently blot off excess fat.

Confessions

All right, I have to make an admission. We went out to eat supper last night at Atlanta Bread Co. I know, how can a girl on a No Flour/No Sugar diet go to a place with bread in the name? The answer is, kids eat free on Thursday nights. I was feeling very proud of myself because I ordered the french onion soup in a regular bowl instead of the bread bowl and I even gave Jack my piece of bread that came on the side. I was smugly eating away, feeling thinner by the moment, when I realized it had pieces of bread in it. Why didn't I remember that part? Oh well. At least I am admitting my mistake. It just didn't seem right not to confess it. I've not lost any weight today but I won't complain about losing four pounds in a week.

We now have a ham for Easter. The one our family likes best is the Sam's Choice Double Glazed Brown Sugar that you can get at Walmart. I'm pretty picky about ham and have tried more expensive ones, but that one from Walmart is hard to beat. My asthma has forced me into hibernation so I don't know how much Easter celebrating I'm going to get to do this year. But I will pass along a yummy dessert recipe to make your celebration extra special.


Five Layer Strawberry Pie

This recipe makes a large pan full, so it's great to take along for a big family dinner or to a church function. It's also one that you make early in the day or the day before. Here, strawberries are starting to come into season, so it's the right time to give this recipe a try.

1/2 c. butter, melted 1 lg box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 qt. chopped strawberries
1 c. finely chopped pecans 3/4 c. sugar
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. powdered sugar 1 1/2 c. water
2 c. Cool Whip 1 small box strawberry Jello

Mix flour, butter and pecans. Spread in a 13x9 glass dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes; cool completely. Mix cream cheese and sugar; fold in Cool Whip. Spread the Cool Whip mixture over the pecan crust. Mix pudding according to package directions; spread over Cool Whip layer. Layer on strawberries. Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil for one minute; cool. Pour over strawberries. Refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve.

More from the Weekly Recipes, and one for Levi

Sorry, I had to stop last night with only one recipe. There were lots of things going on and I figured chicken recipes could wait. Just in case any of you were biting your nails in suspense (I'm just kidding, I'm not delusional), I got back on here this morning to try it again.

Last night for supper we did have grilled chicken. I tried out a new recipe and I'll share it with you below. It was super simple (the way I like it) and was fine but didn't blow me away. Maybe it was just the type of cajun seasoning I put on it that was the culprit. It was good, but it didn't blow me away. My oldest son, however, loved it and ate three pieces. It is definitely a recipe I'll save and tinker with. A couple of substitutions I made to it last night--I replaced the chicken breasts with chicken tenderloins, making my grill time just as quick without having the pounding step, and I substituted Splenda's brown sugar for regular brown sugar because of my diet.

Caramelized Cajun Chicken

I found this recipe in a magazine. I think it was Southern Living, but I can't promise since I had cut it out.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
salt to taste

Preheat the grill to 350-400 degrees (med-hi heat). Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap (or wax paper); flatten to 1/2 inch thickness using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet. Stir together brown sugar and Cajun seasoning; rub mixture over chicken. Grill chicken, lid closed, four minutes on each side or until done. Season with salt to taste. You can also substitute pork chops or chicken thighs for breasts.


Tonight we're grilling pork chops. This is Jon's specialty. He brushes them with olive oil and sprinkles them with a seasoning called Cracker Girl. I'm not sure where you'd find Cracker Girl. We order ours from the company. If anyone is interested, I can get the info for them off the jar. It is YUMMY. It's great on any kind of meat, to give a little kick to steamed vegetables, and I even sprinkle a tad on my macaroni and cheese. If you can't get your hands on Cracker Girl, you could use McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning. It's great too.

These are two recipes to get you started on suppers. I'll post my pizza recipe and potato recipe in the next couple of days. For now, I'll give you just one more. This is the recipe that Levi requested. Last spring Joey and I hosted a ladies' tea and we needed a little something savory, but simple (of course). We took an old recipe I had, one that probably everyone has, and made one simple little change that had yummy results. We gave it a new name on our menu, as we were feeling fancy that day and printed menus. Here are the results.

Sweet and Sour Pennies

2 pkgs beef hot dogs 1 12 oz. bottle chili sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 1 10 oz. jar grape jelly

Slice hot dogs into thin rounds. In a crockpot or on stove top, combine remaining ingredients. Add "pennies"; simmer for 30 minutes.


P.S. I lost another pound today on my diet.

By Request

Today's been a visiting kind of day. First with the ladies at Bible study, then with my very dear aunt and uncle, and then with my neighbor. And I'm only partly through the afternoon. Now it's time to visit with you for a few minutes. What a great spring day it's turning out to be.

First, I'll report on the diet progress. Day 2 and I didn't go insane yesterday without sugar or flour, even after making a batch of cookies for the kids. I promise, I didn't even lick the spoon. When I hopped on the scale this morning I'd lost three pounds! I know, I hopped back on to double check. I think God was giving me a gracious jumpstart.

Today has gone well too. I did almost have a mishap at lunch though. I had promised Meredith a trip to McDonald's on our way to Aunt Betty's and when I went to order I automatically said I'd take a hamburger and fries. I then had to tell her to scratch that and make it a salad instead. Oh, that was a hard one! I do love me some hot McDonald's french fries. It was only later that I realized it wouldn't technically have been cheating to eat the fries since we'd just said no flour and no sugar, but I wasn't going back. Besides, it saved some starch and some grease that I didn't need.

Now to the requests. I have been given some specific recipe requests and asked to just share my recipes in general. I do love to cook. I guess I'll pass on the info, y'all can eat it. I'll pretend while I eat my salad. Joey also requested that I include my menu plan for the week. Yes, I make out a menu plan that I try to go by for the week. It's one of the many lists I make. The GoGo's had a song on their Vacation album back when I was in high school (yes, that dates me, you do the math) and it went something like "I am a girl of a hundred lists..." and that is me in a nutshell. It could be my theme song. Maybe if I was any good at technical stuff I could figure out how to play it on here. Sorry, I'm digressing.

Back to the menu list. I will put that on here weekly for all who are interested on Mondays. It's nothing fancy. I don't usually do things that are complicated because of busy schedules, kids to please, and from the fact that I like it simple. I've always found that the simpler it is the better it is. That's goes for just about anything. I'll list the main dish and sides. If it's fairly simple I won't give the recipe for it, but you can always just comment that you want to know how I make it and I'd be happy to explain. I don't want to overwhelm you with too much information. And I do have a tendency to ramble on.

Monday--Mini Meatloaves, Rice A Roni (I know it's not gourmet but everybody loves it and it was on sale last week), Corn, and rolls

Tuesday--Grilled Chicken, green beans with new potatoes, and fruit salad

Wednesday--Grilled pork chops (I'm trying to be a good girl), baked beans, tossed salad

Thursday--out to eat this week

Friday--smoked sausage, macaroni & cheese, and glazed carrots

Saturday--homemade pizza

Sunday--baked ham, potato supreme, and Five Layer Strawberry Pie (that's my contribution to the family Easter dinner)

I'll have to come back later and post the actual recipes. Right now I've got to run out and meet the school bus. Hope you're having a great day.