Meals to Bring a New Mom: A Recipe Swap

Today at Ultimate Recipe Swap FishMama is sharing some meals to bring to a new mom. When I had my babies, I didn't happen to get any meals delivered to me once I came home (I really wish I had!). So I know how much of a blessing it would be to bring over some meals to families experiencing life in "survival mode" and bringing home a new baby.
Here are some of my favorites to share, not just in celebration of a new baby, but in the case of someone having surgery, going through a rough time, or just helping out someone in need! We even made meals, froze them, and gave them as gifts! Who wouldn't love the gift of a prepared meal??!!

These meals are meals-in-a-bag (Think Skillet Sensations, etc.), though much tastier and healthier! (without all that sodium!!)

Creamy Italian Pasta with Chicken (meal in a bag)
Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers (meal in a bag)
Cheeseburger Pasta (meal in a bag)

Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives Inspired "Italian Stew"

A few weeks ago my fridge went. I mean, just up and stopped working. My 9 year old, full-of-food fridge and freezer. I monitored the temperature with my thermometer my mother bought for all of us sisters, since the same thing happened to her "still under warranty" fridge. It didn't pay for us to invest almost $600 in repairs to our almost decade-old model, so I got a great deal on a new one. (Paid for in cash!) But by the time it would be delivered, it would be day three of no power to my fridge. So I had to act fast and save what I could. Who wouldn't get creative and use up all that food?!
I made a run to my sisters and stocked what I could fit in her extra fridge in her garage, and stored what I could in my deep freezer. I had to use-or-lose the rest.
So looking at my options, I vaguely remembered a dish I saw prepared on Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives. Not sure if it was close, but this is what I came up with. And boy, was it delicious:

Chicken Pisano
Sausage, Potatoes, Chicken, and Brown Gravy
(like an Italian stew)

3 Sweet Italian Sausage Links cut in thick slices
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in bite-sized pieces
red and green pepper strips
4 T. Butter
Flour
Oregano
Pepper
Can of whole potatoes or cut-up chunks of raw potatoes
AuJus or Beef Stock

Melt some butter in a pan. Pop in some thick cut slices of sausage (sweet italian). Add in cut up pieces of chicken breast and let grill up. Add in some oregano and pepper. There will be some oil in the pan from the butter and the sausage, so add some flour to make a roux. Add in some AuJus or Beef stock (what I used) to make a gravy. Add in some chunks of potatoes, or cut can of whole white potatoes in quarters and add in. Turn down heat and let simmer and cook. Brown gravy will become thick. Cook until potatoes are tender and meat is cooked through.

Getting creative in a pinch Works for Me!!

As an added note: I have since found the actual recipe and episode. The dish is called Chicken Pisano. My memory didn't fail me much...my rendition was close!!

Soups for the Soul

Fishmama's Ultimate Recipe Swap calls for favorite soup recipes...
So here's what I'm sharing over there today:
Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Low fat Tomato "Chili" (can be a freezer meal) A favorite of Coach's!

Photo credit

Halloween Monster Munch

Here is a quick snack I surprised my kids with before our football game the other day. I even made some extra to send off in a care package to Minnesota to one of our players who is in his freshman year out there playing football.
All of their favorites: pretzels, M&M's, Halloween Oreos, and candy corn all wrapped in white chocolate! Yum!

Ingredients:
Package of white chocolate melting chips or lb. of white chocolate almond bark
Crumbled oreos
Crumbled pretzels
M&M's
Candy corn
Halloween Sprinkles

Directions:
1. Melt white chocolate in microwave according to package directions. While chocolate is melting, line baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper or no stick foil.
2. Pour layer of chocolate on lined cookie sheet, then quickly toss snack mixture into the chocolate. Sprinkle sprinkles over top. (You'll need to work quickly as for the chocolate to not harden.)
3. Allow to harden (or refrigerate to harden)
4. Break apart into pieces.

*(You could toss your snack mixture on the lined cookie sheet first, then pour the white chocolate over top, but I had so many pieces that were so thick with chocolate since it is difficult to spread, the above directions worked best for me!)

Inspired by: Your Home Based Mom
Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Here is another version of "Monster Munch" that includes popcorn.

One town. One team. One dream.

One town...One team...One dream...

We are in our second third undefeated week of our season. And our "boys of fall" are looking, full speed ahead, for the chance at a State Championship. We're a small town with big dreams, that never gives up.

Football Season...nothing is Finer!!

Sign of Good Fortune?

Word has it that sighting a Praying Mantis is the sign of good fortune. After we found this guy on our garage floor, I look forward to the future!

Labor Day link-up

Congratulations to my blogger friend, Amy, and her Coach on the birth of their fourth child! (Oh, how I know how challenging delivering right in the middle of football season can be!!) Amy is celebrating Labor Day again by celebrating birth stories.
I'm sharing mine again this year.
Click on over for more!

Crescent Rolls on Steroids

These rolls are absolutely delish!! I call them "crescent rolls on steroids" because they are huge! They make a great addition to go along with any gifting meals, too. They can be easily frozen, then taken out as needed!

Butterhorns (Also a freezer recipe)
Recipe from: Money-Saving Mom
(makes 32 rolls)

2T. dry yeast, heaping
1/3C. warm water
9C. flour, divided (you can use any mixture of white or whole-wheat flour you’d like)
2C. warm milk
1C. butter, melted
1C. sugar
6 eggs
2t. salt

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add 4 cups flour, milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Beat 2 minutes or until smooth. (I do this in my KitchenAid)
Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto floured board and knead lightly. (Or, knead in mixer until sides of bowl are clean, then knead two more minutes.)

Place in a greased bowl, turning dough once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size(1-3 hours). (Quick tip: preheat oven to 200° for 5mins. Turn off oven. Let dough rise in warmed oven. Takes about 45mins.)

Punch dough down and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a circle. Cut each circle into 16 pie-shaped slices. (Like a pizza. I use a pizza cutter.)

Roll up each wedge wide edge to tip. (like you form canned crescent rolls).

Place on greased cooking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size. (Remember my quick tip above)

Bake at 375° until lightly browned. (About 15 mins or so)

To freeze and use later:
After rolling, place on baking sheets and freeze (do not allow rolls to rise.) When frozen, place in freezer bags and keep frozen until needed.
To bake: Take out as many frozen rolls as you’ll need and place them on a greased baking sheet. Thaw for five hours or until doubled in size. Bake at 375° until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Remove and serve immediately or cool on wire racks.

Some meal ideas:

Wrap hotdogs in these rolls for wonderful pigs in a blanket!
Idea from: Amy

Chocolate Butterhorns for Breakfast:
Idea from Life As Mom

After cutting each circle, drop some chocolate chips on each slice, and roll as usual. Then continue to prepare/freeze as above. After baking, remove them and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before serving. SOooooo good!!

Works for Me Wednesday: Lower Your Bills

Coach has three players that now play for the NFL, so he needs to watch them each week. He also has players that play all around the country, so he needs to watch them, too. Direct TV is the only place we can tune in to Minnesota, Miami, Chicago, California, Texas, Michigan, and so on, to watch his boys. For us, satellite is a necessity. But our Direct TV bill just kept creeping up and up... and on a measly coaching salary, it's getting harder and harder to write that check.

We recently got an invitation in the mail for the DISH satellite network, which was much cheaper than what we are paying for DirectTV. I called the DISH, and got the scoop. They had 90% of what we were already getting, minus the NFL Sunday ticket, but they had something like it, so we could still see most of the games. Since I was a DirecTV customer for 6 years already, I thought I'd give them a call and give them a chance to keep us as customers.

When I called, the representative already knew of the DISH package I was thinking about and the prices. They matched the DISH's current promotion, drastically lowering our bill for the next 12 months, then $17 a month after that ($17 off what we currently pay now). On top of that, we received a credit of a rather large amount! (covering our bill for the next three months!) Guess they didn't want to lose a customer!!

Call your current providers...cell phone, cable/satellite, or other negotiable utilities... See if there's any wiggle room in your current package. Companies would rather lower your payments than lose your business altogether!

Worked for Me!!

Ahhhhhhhhh....{Breathe}

Yes. I'm still alive. Today it is absolutely raining buckets, so I. am. in. Not going anywhere. Actually, I fibbed. I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. But the past few weeks I have been running non-stop.

I have reported to my once-a-year job (outside my home) at our county fair. Thrown a surprise 45th Anniversary party for my parents. Had my sister's three children with us while she went to Hawaii. (Yeah...I know.) Oh, how I do not look forward to teenage years. Started coaching my daughter's cheerleading team. Uniform fittings. Practices. Scrimmages. Back to school shopping. Physicals. Pep-Rallies... You get the picture.

Did I mention it's the beginning of the busiest time for us? Full-blown Football season. Triples, 7-on-7's, scrimmages. Friday Night Lights! Bring it on!

Photo credit

Wordless Wednesday

While driving the other day, I was overcome with the beauty of where we live. I love that my children are able to see this every day.

Works For Me Wednesday: Streamlined Bill Paying

Every day runs a little smoother here thanks to our Daily System. Our household runs a little smoother with my home binder, housing all of our home warranties, maintenance/repair sheets, paint color chips, and booklets for baby gear, toys, electronics, etc.



And our bill paying runs a little smoother, thanks to my Bill Binder. I have a monthly calendar with each bills due date. I have files for bills to be paid, paid bills, and receipts. And since I have moved most of my bill paying online, I have a sheet with each website address and our login information, right at my fingertips. It makes it so much easier...when I need to pay a certain bill, I just look up the info on the sheet. No more searching for last month's online receipt where I scratched the password, etc. My Bill Binder works for me!!

Great American Backyard Campout

Last weekend Coach was away at the state university with his team for basketball camp. They always go the same weekend as The Great American Backyard Campout, and the kids are always disappointed that Daddy can't join in the festivities I try to plan.

However, disappointed tears always turn to excitement and awesomeness when I mention my single girlfriend's name... (My daughter says "that girl is so awesome!") They love when EM makes a visit, and it's usually the same weekend every year. Last year we had to settle with a dinner at Friendly's and half-baked smores in the oven due to loss of power from horrendous thunderstorms, but this year we went all out!

We planned true campers fare:

Hobo Burgers

Cheesy Potato Packets

Grilled corn-on-the-cob

Jiffy Pop

and of course, S'mores!!

Top it off with the showing of an outdoor movie and camping out in the tent.

No silly...you know our history!! Not outside with this visitor coming through our picnic (which, I love ya EM, but high-tailing it in the house in front of the children....c'mon!??!!)

There's no picture-perfect postcard camping going on in our cozy neck of the woods... We pitch our tents in our family room! This campsite includes A/C!!

Spending a "girls weekend" along with my kids is as about as much fun as EM's Cha Cha Vera... I just love it!!

Linked to: Finer Things Friday

Recipe Swap: Anything Goes

Around here, especially during this busy time of end-of-school activities, superstar week for Football, class picnics, and weekend visits to the coast, there are many nights I'll declare as an "anything goes" type of meal. It certainly helps when we fill our grill with marinated chicken breasts, steak, and burgers over the weekend so we can enjoy quick meals during the week.

Here's one of our favorite recipes to use our leftover grilled chicken:

Penne Rustica

Ingredients:

12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in italian dressing)

crisp, cooked bacon

prepared penne

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Sauce:

2 tsp butter

2 tsp chopped garlic

1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup

1 tsp dijon or dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1C. light cream

Directions:

Saute garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, and heavy cream. Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces. Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Spread in baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes.

(I often make two pans of this and freeze one)

If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.

Some other favorite ways to use up our grilled chicken: Pasta Alfredo and Penne Vodka.

Linked to: Ultimate Recipe Swap at LifeasMom

Finer Things Friday...Road Trip

On the road again....We can't wait to get on the road again.... (you know the song!!)

The Cozy family is on their way to Maine tonight! It'll be clam "chowdah", "lobstah" (okay, trying to mimic the accent here), and Maine Diner's mac-and-cheese for the next few days. (Did I mention a visit to Stonewall Kitchen??!!)

We can't wait!!

Skipping rocks from the rocky shores of the Atlantic, driving on the coast, visiting our kids most favorite sweet shop, walking up to the lighthouse, and spending time with our family.

It doesn't get any finer than that!!!

Image credit click here

Finer Things Friday...Hellllloooo Mr. Jackson!!

Doing laundry in my new front loader...I love. With that said, I don't love doing laundry. But finding tips in the rubber door seal every now and then is a little added bonus..."chump change" mostly. I'm lucky if I can grab a DD's at the end of the week...

I got excited when I found what looked to be a bill...no quarters or dimes this time!!! An actual bill!! (How did I miss that one when I checked all the pockets, I thought??)

Upon further examination...Hello Andrew Jackson!! Jackpot!!


Linked to: Finer Things Friday

Finer Things Friday: Signs of Spring!

Finally...some sunshine and beautiful blooming around here!!

Our cherry blossom tree is right outside our dining room doors and our lilac bush outside our kitchen windows, so the fragrance wafting through our home on warm, windy days is unbelievable!! (Not so great for the allergies, but after an Advil Sinus, or two, we really enjoy the beautiful scents!! :) )

Hopefully, signs of good things to come!

Linked to: Finer Things Friday

Finer Things Friday: Report Card and Conference Time

It's that time again...report cards and parent teacher conferences. Oh, how I remember the excitement, and sometimes the anxiety (oh, yes!), of my parents getting ready the night of parent-teacher conferences at my school. I still recall the way they would come through the door whether the report was going to be good, or, "you have some things to work on..." (You see, I was the little "social butterfly"). Well, fortunately for me, I turned out okay. And my children, they're even better!

Our first grader received yet another picture-perfect report card, and we had another enjoyable conference with her teacher. She is right on target, and is thriving with the challenging enrichment work she is given. Yes, she too is a little "social butterfly" per se, but "continues to be a great example for others". Oh, we're so proud!

And our four year old...he too has made great strides this year in his first year at preschool! What a great conference we had for him as well! He is a "leader" in his classroom, and "will make one super athlete", according to his teachers. (Well, did he have a chance otherwise??!! Coach was thrilled to hear that!!) He counts up to 29... a record!

With two teachers as parents, our children don't have a chance when it comes to "goofing off" in school. They know the importance of education, studying, respecting their teachers and helping others. We couldn't be more proud of our little students!!

Linked to: Finer Things Friday

Finer Things Friday: Helping Others

Yesterday I pulled into the gas station to fill my tires and found a little old man at the air filling station. A farmer, no doubt, probably one of the last original ones in our little tiny-town. Wearing what may be an original pair of Dickies navy blue work pants and matching shirt and thick suspenders, he was struggling to read the directions to fill his farm truck filled with hay. I hopped out and quickly asked if he needed some help. He wasn't sure and explained he had just been across the street to the other filling station where they "robbed him of fifty cents". He explained that the air was blowing all around and he couldn't get it to work, and no one would help him. His tires looked like they hadn't been filled in years. So, I showed him where to find his poundage for the pressure (inside the drivers side door) and programmed the machine. We filled them up, and good thing... they were at 15 pounds!
When we were finished with both his truck and my van, he said "Young lady...I'm 80-sumpin' years old, and it has to be over twenty years since someone offered to help me. Thank you."

You're welcome! And if it's been over twenty years, then something is seriously wrong with this world.
Help each other out...nothing can be Finer!!

Wordless Wednesday

We had two visitors this morning.

(Am I seeing things, or does it look like he's sticking his tongue out at me??!! Fresh little thing!)

Keep going guys...nothing for you here!!

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday