When it comes to holidays, Better Homes & Gardens always has great ideas. I always find myself thinking, “That looks easy. Why didn’t I think of that?”. Since their ideas are so cute, I thought you all might need some inspiration for Halloween treats this week. After all, Halloween is only a few day away.
This time, I included a short description of the things needed for each of these cupcake ideas. Perhaps that will help you save some time as you scan through the list. If you’re like me, you’d rather choose a project that you already have the supplies …read more

School is back in swing, football season has begun, and many parents are overwhelmed with the responsibilities of work, school, homework, sports, and cooking. Quaker Maid has shared a few recipes with us to make dinner time a little less stressful.
 
Easy Meatball Dinner

One 15 oz. can whole potatoes, drained, rinsed, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped onions
14.5 oz. beef broth
32 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
12 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
Approx. 15 oz. meatballs.

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, onions, beef broth, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, pepper and vegetables. Bring to a boil on …read more

A few months ago, I posted a week of Mexican recipes for your enjoyment.  Last week, I made some shredded Mexican beef and wanted to give you the recipe to add to the collection. 

This recipe is great for burritos, tacos, taquitos, and more.  I usually cook a 3-4 pound roast with this recipe and then save half of the cooked roast for the freezer.  It’s nice to pull the cooked beef out of the freezer and have meat that’s ready to use!
 In a crock pot add:

roast (I use one that’s about 3 pounds.)
1 onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
2 beef boullion cubes
Adobo seasoning (salt …read more

We are still moving into our new home and so all of the tips for moving are fresh on my mind.  Yesterday, I shared some tips for moving and here are some other tips to consider.

4)  If you are renting a moving truck shop around for rates with different companies.  Find out if they charge extra for each mile driven or if there are a certain number of miles included in their rate.
5)  When renting a moving truck, it is best to call to make sure your truck is there.  We usually do this the day before.  Even if you …read more

As I mentioned earlier this week, we finally closed on the sale of our house.  We’re moving in this week, so moving is about the only thing on my brain.  It’s very consuming and exhausting.  There are some ways to make moving a little bit easier.  Here are some tips that might help.

1)  Get organized.  Keep a notepad handy for all the things you need to do.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget some of the extra tasks that you need to do.  A “to do” list will help you stay focused.
2)  Pack ahead of time.  If you have …read more

I have been a tad spoiled. In past years, my parents would travel to my kid’s birthday parties and my mom would bake and decorate the cakes. She used to work in a bakery and she always does such a great job with designing and decorating cakes.  By the way, you should have seen the Barbie Princess one she did last year.  I’ll have to put that in another post. 
Anyway, this is the second year that I haven’t had my mom’s cake abilities at hand.  After all, five hours is a bit far to travel for a party.  With a …read more

A few weeks ago, I gave you the recipe for the ridiculously easy blueberry cobbler.  This recipe only requires five ingredients – butter, sugar, self-rising flour, milk, and fruit.  Harris Teeter had a big sale on strawberries so I decided to make a strawberry cobbler.  Since we were having company, I doubled the recipe.  Here it is before putting it in the oven to bake.

And after baking . . .

Mmmmmm. Warm delicious goodness. And oh so easy to do.
So far, I’ve tried this recipe with canned peaches, blueberries, and strawberries.  It’s simple to switch it around according to your tastes and …read more

Last week was Cuddlebug’s 4th birthday.  Although we already had a party for him, I wanted to make a cake for his actual birthday.  I wanted something that he would like, but that wouldn’t take a long time.  And I needed a cake that was fairly easy, since I’m not a cake decorator. 
A few months ago, I let you all know about the cute cupcakes from Bright Ideas.  In their ideas were some baseball cupcakes.  These looked very simple.  I took their idea and modified it into a cake.

I simply made a regular box of cake mix (any flavor will do) and I …read more

I came across this recipe today I just had to share it with you.  It’s a super easy Peach Crisp recipe from Betty Crocker.  It only uses three ingredients!

For this recipe you’ll only need 1/2 cup cold butter, thawed or canned peaches, and one pouch of the Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix.  The preparation only takes 10 minutes.  It would be great to keep these ingredients on hand for a quick dessert.  You just never know when someone will stop by or you’ll need something fast for the covered dish dinner at church that you forgot about. 
Of course, I’m …read more

My neighbor brought some cucumbers over to me a few days ago. I was excited because I enjoy making cucumber salad each year. It’s a refreshing treat in the summer and is very easy to do.

3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
dash of ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients except the cucumber and cook it until the sugar melts.  Pour the warm mixture over the cucumbers.  Store covered in the refrigerator.
This tastes better if you allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving …read more