I have never purchased a birthday cake for my children. In past years, I was fortunate enough to use my mom’s cake decorating skills to get fabulous cakes. Last year was one of those times.
My son wanted a Lightning McQueen cake for his birthday. I looked around in the stores and tried to figure out what I was going to do. Then I decided to buy the car figurines from the toy section. At $12 for three cars, I thought it was a bit pricey but it was cheaper than buying a cake and then at least he would have …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

Last month, we had Mexican Fiesta Week and somehow this recipe for chicken enchiladas was not included.   I won’t hold out on you any longer.  These chicken enchiladas are yummy.

1 large carton sour cream
2 large chicken breasts or canned chicken, chopped
1 small can of green chiles
1 package of dry ranch mix
sprinkle of red pepper
4 oz (1/2 pack) of cheddar cheese
8 oz (1 pack) Mexican cheese
18 pk of flour tortilla shells
1 large can of enchilada sauce

In large mixing bowl mix sour cream, chicken, red pepper, dry ranch mix, green chilies, and cheese (set aside some cheese for topping).  Put 2 tablespoons …read more

Today was my first attempt at making fresh lemonade.  My dad bought a bag of lemons because they were on sale for $1.99 and I thought I’d give it a shot.  Homemade lemonade is so yummy anyway.

I tried two different kinds of gadgets – the old fashioned hand squeezer and the lemon press. The lemon press was much easier to use and it seemed like it did a much better job at getting all of the juice out of the lemons. The directions on the lemon press said to cut the lemons in half. It was easier to press them …read more

This week, I made a blueberry cobbler.  It is a recipe that my mom taught me to make years ago.  The cobber is so incredibly delicious, yet ridiculously easy to make.

You will need:
cooking spray
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
2 cups fruit (approximate)*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9×13 glass pan with cooking spray.  Put 1 stick of butter into pan and bake until butter is melted.  Add 1 cup sugar and stir.  Add 1 cup self-rising flour and stir.  Add 1 cup milk and stir.  Add 2 cups fruit (drained) and stir all ingredients together.  …read more

In years past, I would buy the fajita seasoning packets and sprinkle them on my fajita meat.  I’ve decided that there must be an inexpensive and easy way to make my own seasoning.  Here’s what I’ve decided . . .

Sorry. I don’t have an exact recipe. For the fajita seasoning I usually add:
chili powder
Adobo
garlic powder
paprika
sugar
cumin
crushed chicken bouillon cube
You can make a larger batch of the seasoning so that you have it for several meals. It’s very inexpensive to make.

To make the fajitas, you’ll need:
two onions, sliced
one bell pepper, sliced
1 or 1 1/2 lbs chicken, sliced or cut into small pieces
oil
fajita …read more

A few weeks ago, Amy at Mom Advice wrote about making a Starbucks Copycat Coffee Cake.  It looked so good that I had to give it a shot.  Let me tell you, the crumb topping has two sticks of butter in it.  Wow!  So, you know it has to be good and of course fattening!  
I made the cake last week for our family and it was a hit.  It didn’t take long for us to gobble it up.  My hubby had a staff luncheon this week and I made another one for that. 
This picture isn’t as pretty as Amy’s …read more