Happy New Years!!!! 2013

Happy New Years!!

                                                    Be safe!!

                          Looks like someone had a good time!!

Beef Stroganoff

Tonights Dinner was Beef Stroganoff. I make a really simple recipe. My husband loves this recipe and I must say it taste pretty good! I am not too good with measurements but I will explain the best I can.

3 pounds of Ground Beef

1 can of Mushrooms

2 cans of Beef Gravy

Heavy Cream

Butter 

Egg Noodles

Loaf of French Bread

Cook Ground Beef and drain. Add gravy and cook until it simmers, about 45 min. I like to let it  simmer on low a bit so the beef and gravy blends well. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Add some heavy cream, about 1/2 cup then add can of mushrooms and a few pats of butter. Cook on low while you boil your egg noodles. Once the noodles are done serve it together. Its so yummy and good for leftovers too. I am not to fond of mushrooms so I use only 1 can but you can use more if you like. I usually end up tweaking my recipes a bit to our families liking, you can do the same. Hope you enjoy. Its an easy and cheap meal which makes it even more better!!

Cheddar Sausage Muffins

This morning I didn't have to  much to make the kids for breakfast since I need to take a trip to the grocery store but I found a package of sage sausage in the freezer, had some cheddar cheese and Bisquick so I decided to try and whip up something with all of them combined. I used my basic cinnamon biscuit recipe and added the rest of my ingredients. You can never go wrong when you have a basic biscuit recipe, you can pretty much add whatever you like and it will taste good, these turned out delicious!
Cook sausage until done then drain, set aside
Mix 2 1/4 cup of Bisquick
2/3 cup of milk
1 cup of cheddar cheese, or however much you may like.
Work the dough until it makes one ball, then I just pinched off what I needed for my pan.
Spray Muffin Pan- add the dough by pushing it down and drop about 1 tbs of sausage into each & then fold dough over top of it.

Bake at 400 for about 12 minutes.

I brushed the tops with butter once they came out of oven.

1950s recipes

Well I think this is one cake that I may have to make! Peppermint is my weakness!

I love these Coffee Rings, they are so good. You can mix them up with any type of icing drizzle and even add fruit. Another Classic.

I love the old fashioned Jell-O recipes. Classic and reminds me of Grandma.

2 Bean Chili

There is nothing better then some comfort food in the Winter and during a Football game! We usually have company on Sundays and since its Football season I always try to make something that everyone will really enjoy. I love to make chili and we often play around with the ingredients, this time my hubby asked if we could do black beans and kidney beans and it turned out awesome!!

Ground beef cooked and drained,
add 1 large can of Hunts tomato sauce,
1 large can of Hunts diced tomatoes,
use can and fill with water and add that to pot,
1 large onion diced up,
1 green pepper diced up,
Chili powder (as much as you like),
White Pepper (spicy as you like) we like it hot,
1 can of black beans drained & rinsed and
1 can of kidney beans drained and rinsed.
Simmer and cook for about 40 minutes.
We serve with fresh bread and saltines.

Banana Pudding

Make Pudding as directed and add cool whip, layer cookies and banana's then top with pudding, repeat until all the pudding is gone.

We use Jello-O instead of generic brand because it taste better. 

                               
You can use generic wafers or Nabisco, they are both good. 

Mix cool whip in the pudding for added flavor and texture.

Yummy. Finished product.

Cheese Straws

Cheese Straws are so easy to make. 

2 cups of flour

2 cups cheddar cheese

4 eggs

1 cup butter melted

dash of salt&pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

Mix together, roll out and cute with pizza cutter, thats how I do it.

You can put it in a cookie shooter if you like, I have one of the Pampered Chef ones but this is much easier and the kids can help. Bake a 375 for about 12 minutes. Let cool and put in airtight container.

Pizza and Corn

Why do they always serve corn with the pizza? That should be one of the great mysteries. Our School lunches were not to bad growing up. Some of the meals were better than others but pizza, well that was a favorite. I think everyone I know loved the pizza. Its not the same today from what I hear. My kids are Home Schooled so they have no idea what the lunches are like but I do have friends whose kids go to School and they have many complaints. I only hope they would make them healthier, more veggies and fruit would be great. One can hope, right?

Christmas Candy Tray

I made these out of hard candies. They are so fun and easy! Can't wait to use this Christmas morning with some of the finger foods that I plan on serving to our friends and family as they stop over to visit.

I use a Silicone pad because NOTHING sticks on them but you can use parchment paper if you do not have the silicone. Make sure you space about 1/2 inch between the candies that way they don't bulk up and look to bubbly. If bubble do form use a toothpick or something sharp to pop them. You may need to use a butter knife to line up and straighten the edges but I really didn't need to, they come out pretty good.  Bake on 350 for about 7 min or until they look flat. Once they are out of the oven let them sit before you move them because they are very pliable and will bend and they harden fast. I laid them on the counter until they were completely cool. I made the Christmas Tree then the round plate at the bottom, tomorrow I am going to make a wreath and ornament!! This is so fun to do with the kids, let them line up their own candies and make their own plate. Have fun and I hope you enjoy. 

Buddy the Elf.

We never miss the chance to watch Elf.  We love the family holiday movies, this time of year is so fun.

Easy Dinner that goes far.

I have made my mind up that after the Holidays I am going to plan our meals better, by better I mean that I am going to scour the internet for recipes that are affordable, taste good, and go far. This is a sample meal that I am sure my Family will like and will go far. Here is a pic of what it looks like once it's prepared. First you prepare the stuffing just like you would if you were to eat it right away, then mix 1 can of Cream of Chicken in a bowl with 1/3 cup of milk. Place the stuffing in the center of the dish and along the sides add the Chicken, once done cover it with the Cream of Chicken Mix. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. It smells super good...Enjoy and check back because all the recipes I find, I am going to post for those who want to better plan and budget their meals.

JC Penny Wishbook

I remember these old toys. The cash register was so cool.

These old CB's were all the rage back in the day.

I love these old bedspreads. 1977 JC Penny

I would love to have one of these Record Players.

1977 JC Penny Wishbook. They don't make toys like this anymore.

Memories of Grandma's House

Every Grandparents house I visited had a Fruit cake. I have never liked them personally, I did however always buy my Grandparents one. I miss those days. 

Grandma's house was within walking distance to Woolworth's so my brother and I would walk there just to look at the most recent toys. We loved it there.

Every dish in my Grandmom's house had these candies in them. As kids we loved to take handfuls and put them in our pockets to take home for later. My brother and I loved the Raspberry Candy that had the chewy center.

            

Grandma always had her Christmas Tree adorned with these bright bubble lights. Today the lights on our Tree are so dim, with these lights you only needed on strand! They would brighten any Tree up. I love them. I would love to find a few packs for my Tree today.

Baby its cold outside

Celebs and the Holidays.

                       Laverne and Shirley Christmas. I love these girls.

Joan Crawford

     

A Bette Davis Christmas. Love the colors. 

  

Jayne Mansfield decorating a Christmas Tree. Both beautiful.

I Love Lucy Christmas. What a beautiful family picture. 

Christmas memories

       Christmas had to be started off right and that would be with Rudolph and Frosty. We waited all year for these cartoons.

     

One year I will have an aluminum Christmas tree to make my Retro Christmas complete.   

           

The wishbook was like another present. My brothers and I would look for hours and hours. We would circle everything we wanted Santa to bring us.

      

         Higabee's department store window display. Higabee's went all out for the Holidays.

  I remember my Grandmother making this cake. I love the vintage recipes. Holidays are not complete until cookies and cakes are baked. We make a whole bunch of cookies for the neighbors. Kids love to help me.

       

    

  I do really like these aprons. I never remember a time where my Grandmother didn't have one on. 

I love to look at the pictures and reminisce about the good old days.

  I am not sure if I like all this. I do enjoy looking at the different holiday decor though.  I love to decorate for all the holidays.

Pumpkin Cocktail

Mix all ingredients together and then use some syrup or liquor for dipping the rim of the glass into and then dip into some cinnamon to give it that extra kick. So yummy and perfect for the Holidays.

Cheap and cute bedroom decor.

I bought these wings from the Dollar Store and the stick on quote "Once upon a time there was a Princess" and hung that and these wings on my little girls bedroom walls. Its above her bed and she can sit there and admire it. She loves all the pretty pink and butterfly hangings. Cheap and easy. Just the way I like it! I love when I can find a simple way to spice up a room. The cheap price makes it even better with the Holidays coming up.

Apple Fritters

Super easy, kid friendly and yummy!! I had a ton of apples that were sitting here and I wanted to bake an apple pie but figured my kids might like these and its easier for their little fingers.

Apple Fritters:
1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup of milk

1 egg 

1 1/2 cups chopped apples

Glaze:
Powdered sugar
Milk (I eyeball this, not really sure of exact measurements).

Mix dry ingredients then add wet and fold in apples....Heat oil to medium and drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil. Turn after 3 min or so and wait until they either float, or are golden brown.

Drain on paper towel or paper bag, thats what I drain my foods on, soaks it up better. Enjoy!

Friendship

I love this movie. Not everyone is blessed to have a friend like this, but if you are, you need to make sure that you appreciate it and hold it near and dear to your heart.

Two Slice Hilly

This is one of my favorite movies! Sometimes people get whats coming to them. I am a firm believer in you get back what you put out. I always try to live by that, I would never want someone to make a pie like this, LOL!!!! Classic....

November

I love this month so much. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I can't wait to spend time with my family and friends during the Holidays. We are a close family but for some reason this time of year makes it all the more special, this time of year also makes me miss our loved ones who are no longer here with us. It's bitter sweet. Some of our family traditions growing up were the Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins all came to our home for Thanksgiving. Mom cooked all the food for days leading up. We would wake up to a house smelling of turkey and a pot of coffee. At about 3pm we would all grab plates and go into which ever room we wanted. We watched Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase every year! I love that movie. The guys would be in another room watching whatever football  game was on that day. I miss those days. Now my husband and I have our traditions which are cooking all of our food, putting the Christmas tree up while the Macy's day parade is on the TV and decorating it with our 3 kids. I love doing that. Sometimes if there is a really good black Friday deal I will send him out to stand all night for me after dinner, yes, he loves me that much. I wish my family would all gather together in the same room but as we get older and have families of our own it seems people start going in other directions. Its a crazy time when we all have small kids and lots of Grandparents, we need to make sure time is spent with each one wisely. The joy of being an adult has finally sunk in. What are some traditions you share with your family? I would love to hear them.

This day in history.....

This day in history a great film was made with a wonderful actor, that film was Cool hand Luke with Paul Newman. I remember watching this with my husband. He loves this movie so much that he bought the DVD one evening and said he wanted us to watch it. Well, I wasn't to sure if I wanted to because it didn't sound interesting. Boy was I wrong. Anything that Paul Newman acts in is wonderful. He is right up there in the category with Hollywood's finest, Carey Grant, Brando, James Stewart, and John Wayne. There are many more but these are some I grew up seeing on our TV. My mother loves the old films and would always have one playing on the TV. I also admire Mr.Newman's relationship with his equally wonderful actress wife Joanne Woodward. Together they look like a couple of beauty stars more then movie stars.

Mr.Newman also was a kind man who gave lots of money to charity. What most remember are his movies but one thing to really remember was his kind heart, his charity he started and the kids he has helped since.   http://www.newmansownfoundation.org

Its the great pumpkin Charlie Brown

I can remember as a kid being so excited to watch this show. I loved Charlie Brown, I still do. I can remember sitting with my hair wet and pjs on in front of the TV with some popcorn and my brothers watching this. There was an excitement that came from watching these cartoons, you know why? I will tell you. Its because we ONLY got to watch them during the Holidays! They were not on VHS, DVD, DVR, Youtube, Tivo and any other electronic device or gadget. It seems today that nobody anticipates anything. We know what's going to happen the minute it does thanks to Twitter, Facebook and all the other social networking sites. Not saying it's a bad thing. These things can be of great help but when it comes to simple things like cartoons it seems by the time they come on I am sick of them! I have watched Rudolph 15 times through out the Summer so by Christmas I am over it! I said in a previous post that I am going to start to limit the amount of gadget time that we all have here and I mean it. I want to cut back on the TV, Ipad, X-box and the Wii for a bit. I know it will be hard at first but I am curious to see how well we can handle it. With the Holidays coming up I want to spend more time as a family and not so much on the games. I think sometimes we use them in excess and don't even realize it since we are so used to it. Tonight I can't wait to watch this with my kids. It still reminds me of being a kids myself. I love making memories with them. Have a safe Halloween everyone xoxo

Hurricane Sandy

We survived hurricane Sandy! Thank God! Yesterday I made a huge bed in the living room with enough blankets that it actually felt like a mattress on the floor. My kids were loving the change and were playing like they were camping. Kids and their imaginations will make it through anything. I wish us adults were that way at times. I admit that my biggest concern was our safety first of course, then I was praying to God we didn't lose power! I was dreading the idea of having no TV, computers or iPads with the kids. What would they do? I mean they would be so bored! I then suddenly realized how dependent we are on technology and it made me feel very bad. When we were growing up and the power was out the only thing we missed was maybe a TV show. I would grab a book, we would just tell stories, look at a comic or just converse with one another. We have become so spoiled now that the idea of losing our power makes me cringe! It shouldn't be that way, I need to do something to change that. I know that we live in a society where everything is advanced and these gadgets are everywhere but I really want my kids to NOT be so dependent on them. I am going to try to make some changes in the next week little by little and see how it goes, put a limit on the amount of computer and ipad time. This goes for me too, it wont be easy but I am willing to try. Hey, whats the worse that can happen? I fail? I will feel better knowing we tried and every little change can help. I am not saying do away with them all together but maybe just limit the amount of time on them and pull out some of the good old fashioned board games. This should be fun! I will make sure to blog about this one.

Memories

I remember all of these toys as a kid, my brothers are younger then me and I remember them playing with these as well. I love the all of these. There is something about looking at a photo and remembering everything about that time. It literally takes you back to that time and place. I have so many clear memories of growing up. I love reminiscing about them. Its such a happy place to go to.

I remember my mom and dad having this for us and keeping it in the car. It's like the 1st IPad!! Wow, times sure have changed! I remember that all 3 of us would have to wait turns for a toy. Nowadays there is an Ipad or Iphone per child in each family.

~Clackers~ How many knuckles did you bust playing with these? My mom said she played with these as a kid too. I never really understood the concept of this other then just clacking the balls, hence the name, Clackers!

~Strawberry Shortcake~ This was my favorite toy ever! I got one for Christmas and was so happy, she smelled so good. I had the Strawberry Shortcake bedspread and thought I was so cool. I was a total girly girl. I loved pink and purple, my sweet dad even painted my bedroom purple as a surprise for me and I LOVED it!

The Cabbage Patch Kids. My mother and Grandmom stood in line to get me one of these. I remember being so happy on Christmas when I got this. She said she stood in line all morning and then was rushed into the store and almost trampled on, it amazes me what a parent will do for a child during the Holidays. I loved this doll so much that I actually decided she needed her hair cut when I had mine cut, my mom was not to happy.