Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 54 ~

Gosh, has it been a week since I posted?  Sure doesn't seem like it.  I'll try to do better this week!  Here it is time already again for Pinned it Made it Monday!


Most of the time on my Pinterest pins, I just happen to run across something online or something someone else has pinned that looks good and I'll pin it.  But this time, I actually went looking for something in particular to pin.  I was looking for a good old-fashioned fried apple pie recipe.  And I found one!  :)

We worked this past week gathering apples from our apple tree, peeling, coring, cutting them up, and drying them in our deyhdrator.  After all that work, we wanted to reap the yummy benefits, so we set aside some time Saturday afternoon to make these old-fashioned fried apple pies from our dried apples.

I pinned Granny's Fried Apple Pies.  These looked like the real deal.  :)

Source

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Delicious, old-fashioned fried apple pies, made the way Granny used to make them.
Serves: About 30 pies
Ingredients
  • 4 bags (6 oz) dried apples
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 heaping cups self-rising flour
  • ¾ cup Crisco shortening
  • 1½ – 2 cups ice water
  • Additional flour for mixing dough
  • 2 cups Crisco shortening
Instructions
For apples:
  1. Put apples in a large pot or Dutch oven and add enough water to almost cover.
  2. Stir in two cups sugar.
  3. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
  4. Turn heat down just a little so apples continue to simmer.
  5. Break up apples with spoon as they cook.
  6. Cook until apples are tender and juicy, stirring frequently. You may need to add more water as they cook. Do not allow the apples to get dry.
  7. Remove apples from heat and allow to cool.
For dough:
  1. Start with 4 heaping cups of self-rising flour and cut in ¾ cup Crisco shortening with a fork or your fingers. Mix well until shortening is fully incorporated into the flour.
  2. Add 1½ cups of ice water to flour, and add additional ice water as needed to get all the dry flour mixed in. Mix with a fork until dough is sticky.
  3. Dip hands in flour and sprinkle additional flour onto dough so that you can knead it. Use additional flour as needed to be able to knead the dough until smooth and non-sticky.
  4. Pinch off pieces of dough to make balls slightly smaller than ping pong balls.
  5. Roll each ball out until thin.
  6. Add a heaping spoonful or two of apples to one side of rolled dough. After the first couple, you will learn exactly how much apples to place on the dough. If you put too much, the dough will not cover without tearing.
  7. Dip your finger in water and rub around the edges of the dough where the apples are.
  8. Carefully fold the dough over and press the edges together lightly to seal.
  9. Using a fork, crimp the edges to fully seal.
  10. Once all the pies are ready, add about ½ cup Crisco shortening to a large skillet and heat on medium-high.
  11. Once the grease is hot enough to sizzle from a drop of water, carefully lay two or three pies in the skillet.
  12. Cook about a minute to a minute and half on each side until they are golden brown.
  13. Lay pies on a large platter lined with paper towels and serve immediately.
  14. Pies will keep for a few days but are best eaten within two days.

And so we dove in.....Jason, Joy, Luke and me.  And we made a mess!  Working with flour and shortening and then frying in grease is never tidy, right?  And from start to finish, we worked almost 4 hours.  But then again, we didn't realize our recipe would make so many....we made 50 fried apple pies!  Next time, we'll cut that recipe, make less at a time, and cut our preparation/cooking time.

But was it worth it?  You bet!  They are D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.!

We started with 3 qt. bags of dried apples and followed this recipe.  Almost exactly.  First of all, we put too much water, so had to wait for them to cook down, which made ours really more like a thicker applesauce consistency rather than a little chunky.  Next time we'll make sure we barely cover the apples.  And then, of course, you need to keep tasting to make sure you get enough sugar.  We also added cinnamon to our liking as well as brown sugar.  Yummy!












Your turn! :) You can link your Pinterest project below! We'd love to see!

 Have a wonderful week!

 ♥ Tammy ♥

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

♥ A Sweet Summer ♥

It seems like all we've done this summer besides staying on the go........is eat and then eat some more....and we've been in a "sweets" mood!  :)

We love these lemon cookies around here.  Besides tasting great (almost like gourmet cookies), they're super easy to make!  All it takes is a lemon cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup of oil mixed.  Roll into quarter size balls and dip into powdered sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes (they will begin to crack a little).  It usually takes a bit longer in my oven.  Everybody loves these!



Next up was Grandmama Love Day I guess.  She made these for us last week while Trey and Shauna were visiting with us.......brownies and fudge all in one day!  Even though it looks like alot, believe it or not, they didn't last long with this bunch!



And then after a fun evening at the carnival Sunday and seeing folks enjoying funnel cakes, I came home and made the next closest thing for us......homemade donuts!  I had forgotten how much I loved these.  I grew up with my mom making them.  These are also super easy.....canned biscuits pulled apart to make the whole in the middle....deep fried, dipped in a mixture of powdered sugar and water, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Oh, and of course, there are no calories in these.  :)  Yummy!



Not sure what it is about summer, but it sure has put us in a "sweet" mode!  :)  Now I know you're hungry, so go make your family a sweet treat!  :)

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Be sure and stop by tomorrow to join my guest and I on the sunporch for a chat!  You'll love her!
 
Have a great day!  :)
 
♥ Tammy ♥ 

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

♥ Brownies ♥

Brownies are a favorite treat around here.   Jason hints around for these quite often.  :)

I grew up with my mama making this brownie recipe and I made these for Jason while we were dating.  :) 

This is one recipe that our entire family loves!



Jason's favorite way to enjoy them is with a jar of peanut butter and a glass of milk.

The rest of us just take them as simple brownies!  But they're not bad with a scoop of ice cream either!

The recipe is for baking in a square baking dish, but I usually double it and bake it in a 9 x 13 glass dish.  I spray my dish with spray cooking oil and then wipe out the excess with a paper towel.

I bake mine on the top rack of my oven and it takes a little longer in my oven than it does my mom's.  She says it takes hers about 35 minutes to get done.  It takes about 40-43 minutes in mine.  I just keep a watch on them.  They will still be a little soft in the middle (the toothpick trick here doesn't work...it never will come out dry), but as they sit, they firm a little more.  They will start to pull away from the sides when they are done and will be softer in the middle.  Just don't overcook.  I've burned a few batches thinking they needed more baking!

Anyway here's the recipe:

Brownies

3/4 c. flour
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp cocoa
2/3 cup Wesson oil
1 Tbsp corn syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla flavoring

Bake at 350 degrees.


Hope your family loves them as much as ours!  Enjoy!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 28 ~


Well I thought I didn't have anything to share with you this week for Pinned it, Made it! Monday, but then I remembered a recipe I tried before we went into the hospital.  It's a Weight Watchers recipe too!  You get an entire cup for only 2 points!  Now that's what I'm talking about.  :)

It's called Weight Watcher's Yummy Cheese Soup.  Here's the original pin (from my What's For Dinner Pinterest Board):

Source:  food.com


Ingredients:

2 (10 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen broccoli
1 (10 ounce) can rotel tomatoes
8 ounces Velveeta reduced fat cheese product

Directions:

1.  Add 2 cans chicken broth.

2.  Add 1 can Rotel tomatoes.

3,  Add 2 packages frozen broccoli.

4.  Cook together 8 minutes and then stir in 8 oz. Velveeta light cheese.
 
 

Here's ours:



This doesn't make a big huge full pot, but just enough, with a little left over for lunch the next day.  We liked it and I will make it again.  It has a spicy flare to it.  If you don't like spicy food, you might not like it because of the rotel, but if you love spicy, I think you'll enjoy this.

Do you have something you can share with us......something you've pinned on Pinterest and given a try?  We'd love to see......

To participate in Pinned it, Made it! Monday, here are the guidelines:

1) Just do a post about what you’ve pinned and made from Pinterest, then come back over here to Country Girl at Home and link that particular post (not your blog in general) on this post below.


2) I don’t mind if you link up more than one post….multiple entries are fine.

3) You must add my Pinned it, Made it! Monday button on your post or sidebar of your blog linking back to Country Girl at Home. You may get this button code on the page at the top of my blog labeled “Buttons”. Just copy and paste the code into your post.

4) Be supportive and visit blog entries. I do ask that you visit at least one and leave a comment there. And don't forget to leave me one here! :) We all love comments, don’t we? It’s encouraging and uplifting!

5) By linking up and participating, you give me permission to use your entry photo if I decide to feature an entry.


Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week! 

♥ Tammy ♥

Friday, August 24, 2012

Faithful Friday - "Yes, No, or Wait"

My days have been mixed up this week because our schedule has been different, so Friday really slipped up on me! But…..today is Friday and that means it’s time for Faithful Friday!




As I was riding my bike last night, I was reflecting over the past few months with our family.  As I was thinking, I was remembering the prayers and hopes our family has had and I just felt the Lord gently remind me that even though He doesn't always answer my prayers in the way I (or we) hope or want, He’s in control and not to worry.  And just to trust Him.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.     Philipians 4:6-7

When we pray, don’t we all desire for our requests to be answered in the way we want? I mean it would be nice to hear God answer “Yes”. But….sometimes (often times), His answer is a gentle “No”. Last week, we actually got a “No” answer. And it was a blow because we had hopes. But God really does know best. Sometimes that “No” is a temporary one, because it’s not His timing. And God’s timing is the best because He knows what’s ahead.  And because His timing is what we want for our lives, we still praise God when He answers "No". 

But you know, sometimes I think that the hardest answer I get from the Lord when I pray is “Wait”. Those are the times that I wonder what God is doing. I mean I’ve been praying and waiting a long time, Lord! What are You up to here, Lord? I feel like I’m not getting any direction as to what I should do (or not do). Those are the times that it would be nice if God just would send a big neon sign or something. (Wouldn’t that be great)? And it seems like we’ve been getting a big dose of “Wait” lately. But still even though it’s hard, we praise God in the midst of the “Waits” because we know whatever God has planned for us is much better anyway.

One thing I know, whether the answers to our prayers are yes, no, or wait, God is God. He never leaves us. He cares and He knows best. And that is what we can take comfort in and we can rest assured that we are resting in His arms. And that’s a safe place.

  Do you have something to share for Faithful Friday? We’d love for you to join us. Link up with Joy here and grab the Faithful Friday button while you’re there. We’d love to come visit you too! 

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I’m also linking up with Lois of Walking on Sunshine for Foodie Friends Friday with a recipe from my aunt’s church cookbook. It’s called Mary Jo's Potatoes.  (I have no idea who Mary Jo is.....I guess she's a relative of the lady that submitted the recipe, but I wanted to give her credit).  :)   Jason loves for me to fix this, so we have it fairly often.



Mary Jo's Potatoes

1/2 stick butter, melted
2 Tbsp. diced onions
2 lb. frozen hash browns
8 oz. cheddar cheese (grated or shredded)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp. garlic salt


Mix all the above together.  Put into 9" x 13" pan and sprinkle with bacon bits.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.


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If you haven't signed up for my fall giveaway yet, and would like to do so, you can do that here.

Today is also our Airplane Day.  Wanna know what our Airplane Day is?  You can read about that here.  Twenty three years ago today, we became parents for the first time when Colt, then 5 1/2 months, arrived on a plane from South Korea FINALLY to be home where he belonged, with his family that had been waiting and loving him for so long across the miles!  That was a wonderful and beautiful day for us.  We sure do love that boy, well he's a man now.  I'm so thankful that God chose to grow our family the way He did.  That's another one of those "Wait" answers that I spoke about above.  And the "Wait" was definitely worth it!  Happy "Airplane Day" Colt!  We love you!  We're so glad you're our son!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I would LOVE for you to join me for Pinned it, Made it Monday too!  Have a great weekend!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Friday, August 10, 2012

Faithful Friday - "Guard Your Mind" (And Foodie Friends Friday)

Good morning friends! Are you enjoying your summer? Are you as ready for fall as I am?  :)


I have been sharing little devotions the past two Fridays from the devotion book that we gave Joy for Christmas, His Princess (Love Letters from Your King). I hope you’re not growing tired of them, because there’s another one I’d really love to share today!

This topic came up in a conversation between Jason, Joy, and me last Saturday night. Then Sunday morning at church, Pastor Alex’s sermon was on the very same thing. Joy was asked to read the scripture that day from the pulpit too. And this devotion flows right along with it.

Thoughts are something that we can’t always control. I mean sometimes you just can’t help what “pops in there". BUT, we can help dwelling on them. And God gives us direction as far as our thoughts are concerned:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

That scripture is one of my favorites!

If we are watching, listening or allowing things in our home that are contrary to true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy thoughts, we are setting ourselves up for thoughts that are of the same nature.  And here’s the thing. Pastor Alex said two things that I want to always remember. I like the way he put it. “Our thoughts are either lofty or they’re lowly.” And, “the genesis of action is imagination”. Boy that’s good there! In other words, the things that we act on all begin with a thought. Just take a look at our culture and the things thrown our way. It doesn’t give us very noble things to think on, does it?

And the devotion:

My Princess….Guard Your Mind

I want your mind fixed on Me, My beloved. But I want even more from you. I desire great things for you, so I want you to guard your mind by making an “aware list” – all the things you watch, listen to, and read. Let Me show you the things that can carry you away from your calling and destroy your dedication to Me. Even your thoughts can be held captive by the ways of the world. I want to protect you, but I will never force you to listen to My Spirit or make your mind dwell on what is true, pure, and right. The choice is yours, My love. You can have an abundant life, a blessed life – a life of influence for others to follow; or you can join the way of the world. I, your God, am asking you today to let your mind dwell on Me, and you will discover the kind of life you long to enjoy not only now, but forever.

Love,
Your King and Your Peace of Mind



And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

But we don’t have to despair when thoughts creep in. God also tells us we can bring those thoughts into the captivity of Christ. He will take them and hold them captive. That’s good news. Then we should strive daily to think on those noble, pure and right things. What goes in, we'll think on, and what we think on, we'll act on.  Oh how I want my thoughts to be lofty! 

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)



Won’t you join us for Faithful Friday? Grab the button code (from the button page at the top of my blog or on Joy's blog)  and link up with Joy so we can come visit you too? Faithful Friday is a day set aside to share an encouraging word from your Christian Walk with others.



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I’m also linking up today with Lois of Walking on Sunshine for Foodie Friends Friday. This recipe is so delicious! Of course, it's a Mexican dish, which is my very favorite kind of dish! I'm telling you it tastes like it should be served in a gourmet restaurant!  I found it on Pinterest and have made it several times.  As a matter of fact, we had it for supper last night.  I posted this recipe before, but I'm going to share it again here today for the linky party.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything; recipe from Allrecipes

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast meat (or for extra lazy days use a rotisserie chicken)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas (I used flour ones instead)
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

A piece was already gone before I remembered to get a pic!   
Thanks so much for stopping by and for leaving a comment!  Have a wonderful weekend!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Saturday, August 4, 2012

♥ Christmas in July ♥

We’re back home! Jason and I had such a great time. Probably way too much fun for folks married 30 years! We went 4-wheeler riding on the ATV trails which were full of hills and rocks and let’s just say that we didn't take it all that easy and.....well......I’m sore. I think we acted a little like spring chickens when we’re inching closer to the older hen and rooster. But was it worth the soreness? You bet.....we had so much fun! I'll come back one day next week with more pictures from our trip.

Okay, on to this post....I decided I was going to pop in here today and join Sara and Betty for a little Christmas in July. Yes, I know it’s August, but that doesn’t count because we were honeymooning the end of July, so I’m late. Would you bear with me while I catch up?

Here are a few radom pics from Christmas in our home from 2011:

















I’ve already been in the fall mood, which is by far my favorite season. I love the cool crisp air and the cozy feeling inside that it evokes. Not to mention that it’s followed by Christmas! So thank you for joining me today as I revisited Christmas!

Speaking of getting in the mood for fall, I want to share my Apple Crisp recipe.  It's so easy and so good.  I'm linking up with Lois of Walking on Sunshine and her Foodie Friends Linky Party.



Apple Crisp

6 large tart cooking apples
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter

Place peeled and cubed apples in a greased (11 x 7 x 2) baking dish. Pour orange juice over apples. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Combine flour, remaining sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Spoon over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is brown.



Serve warm or cold with ice cream or milk. (We love it warm with a scoop of ice cream). Enjoy!


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And don't forget to join me for Pinned it, Made it! Monday. The post will be on later Sunday night if you want to link up early.   Also linked up with Sunny Simple Life for my Christmas decor.

Thanks again for stopping by and have a great weekend! :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Strawberry Freezer Jelly

For years, my Aunt Betty has made strawberry freezer jelly for all the family. She loved to pick strawberries and then make the jelly. She would ask each family how many jars we’d like. We’d save jars all year for her. She must have spent hours and hours doing this for us all. You may remember me posting and asking prayer for the family when we lost Aunt Betty and Uncle Junior in the car wreck the end of May.  I will always think of her with my strawberry freezer jelly.

My kids have grown up on the strawberry freezer jelly. As a matter of fact, for the longest time, Colt (my oldest) didn’t even know there was any other kind of jelly. One day we ran out of the freezer jelly and I purchased grape jelly from the grocery store. He had no idea there were other flavors even. He was shocked.  For him still to this day, the only kind of jelly worth eating is strawberry freezer jelly.

Strawberries were on sale last week for $1.00 at Walmart.  So, Jason and I decided it was time to make our first batch the end of last week. One of the 16 oz cartons of strawberries makes 6 half pint jars for us. And it really makes it go quicker and more smoothly to have two people working on it. We did 12 jars the first night.

Since then, my mom and I have made more. I think we’ve done a total of 48 jars so far. We’ve still got strawberries waiting on us. My dad keeps picking up more!  lol!

Here’s how we do it:

Strawberry Freezer Jelly

To make 6 half pint jars (freezer safe ones), you need:



4 cups sugar
16 oz of strawberries (2 cups of strawberries chopped in blender)
1 box sure jell
¾ cup water

Remove the stems from the strawberries and wash the strawberries. Chop in blender. I put 4-5 in there at a time shaking the blender container around to make sure all are blended and slowly add the same amount to it until all are blended.



Put 4 cups of sugar in a bowl (I ended up using one that has a pouring lip on it to make it easier later). Add your strawberries (16 oz or the 2 cups blended strawberries). Let that sit for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.



When there’s about 2 minutes left on my timer for the above, I start the sure jell on the stove. Add 1 box of sure jell to 3/4 cup water in a small stewer. Stir constantly until it begins boiling. When it starts to boil, set your timer for 1 minute. While it’s boiling, stir occasionally.



After that one minute, remove from the stove and add to the strawberry/sugar mixture.

Stir the sure jell/water from the stewer into the strawberries making sure it’s mixed well. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes (again I set my timer).

After 3 minutes, you’re ready to pour it up into your jars.

You can see here that I moved it to the pouring bowl.  We learned it makes it easier to just start with that bowl.


Leave about ½ inch from the top to allow for expansion in the freezer. Cover with lids.



Leave the jars out at room temperature to allow them to set for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, move to the freezer.




They will keep in the freezer for a year and in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. (I know I have kept mine longer than that in the refrigerator though). To thaw them for use, move to the refrigerator.

Isn't that easy?  :)

Colt came out Saturday and was very excited to see that we had strawberry freezer jelly made. He made sure he left the house with a couple of jars to take back to his apartment and the assurance that he could come back for more when that was gone. Lol!

It’s so easy to make. It takes us about 45 minutes to make 12 jars. Not long at all. And it’s SO good! So go on…..get you some strawberries and make some. You’ll be glad you did! And just think, you'll be able to enjoy it all winter long on those biscuits on a cold morning!  :)


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Thank you for the very kind comments on my post yesterday. It’s those about my family that make me smile the most. :)


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And I have to share what came in the mail for me yesterday! JoAnn of Sweet Pepper Rose sent me this cross-stitched bookmark.



I love what it says….it says it all……In the beginning, God…….. Isn’t that great and so sweet of her? This is now my read-aloud bookmark for our homeschooling. Thank you so much, JoAnn!

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On another note, I have another Sunporch Chat in the works……more on that later…….. ;)  And thank you for stopping by today! Have a wonderful Wednesday!  :)


♥ Tammy ♥

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Days Around Here

I was so thrilled to see that you enjoyed my first Sunporch Chat as much as I did! It was so much fun. Ms. Betty was a wonderful guest! Thank you all for stopping by and for the kind comments! I know Ms. Betty appreciated them as well!

I enjoyed it so much that I know I can’t wait for an entire month to do another. I’m going to have to do this at least once every two weeks because it was just so much fun. So stay tuned for the next Sunporch Chat (which I will announce beforehand). I'm going to keep a link to each Sunporch Chat on the page above titled Sunporch Chats for future reference.  :)

These days I’ve been keeping cooking to a minimum, or as simple as possible,so as not to heat up the kitchen. It’s been so terribly hot and humid here. A lot of humidity came after the rain. I love my George Foreman grill. I used to have a smaller one, but treated myself a year or so ago to this one that I picked up at the day after Thanksgiving sale. It’s big and it’s RED.



It takes less than 4 minutes to make our hamburgers and it holds about 5 of our large sized ones. We like our hamburgers cooked on it with worchestershire sauce and/or Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. It’s an easy quick supper, which leaves time for our bicycle ride before dark sets in. Do you have a George Foreman? Do you use it?

I have flowers again, actually Joy and I have flowers, compliments of Luke and picked off my crepe myrtle bush. “Just for the ladies”. Aren’t they cheery?



I’m kind of excited about a little something too…..Lois of Walking on Sunshine urged me to enter my chocolate gravy recipe in the Foodie Friend Friday linky party. So I did. I actually was one of the top three for the most clicks. Could be that folks were just curious about such a strange and fattening dish. Lol! Oh well, it was different among those healthy dishes. For whatever reason, I’m still excited. I even earned this button.

Foodie Friends Friday

The rains brought blessings with it from our garden.



 We’ve gotten a few peppers.  They looked so funny that we couldn't figure out if they were bell peppers (they smelled like it but were shaped a little like jalepenos (see above).  We tried one and they were hot so we were stumped.  We only planted a couple of jalepeno plants and more bell peppers (right beside each other).  So we were thinking they were bell peppers but since they were hot, we just didn't know.  We're wondering if they could have crossed over somehow?  Anyway, with our peppers, we decided to try a little something.   :)  I took the following ingredients:

Cream cheese melted (I melted a full bar)
Bacon bits (real ones) (about a half of a little bag)
Creole seasoning (didn’t measure…just to taste)



 I mixed all that together and just stuffed in on those halves.

It would have made a better picture to get it BEFORE putting it in the oven, but I forgot!

They were good! And best of all, they were grown in our garden. They were a little spicy, but we like spicy. (Well, Jason and I like spicy).

Just waiting patiently now on those tomatoes!

We had a kid on loan too. You may remember seeing his picture here on my blog from awhile back. He belongs to one of the servers at our favorite Chinese restaurant. He’s only been here from China for less than a year. Well we love him and he likes hanging out with us when we go to the restaurant. He sits with us the entire time we're there. Anyway, his dad let him spend the day with us. His English name is Jason, but we still call him Heng Heng (pronounced more like Hong Hong). He’s five.



Anyway, after picking him up, we had lunch out, went to a playground, had Baskin Robbins ice cream, went to Dollar Tree for picking out a toy (because I know in Dollar Tree I can tell them they can pick any toy in there they want and I know it's within my budget),  :)....and then here to the house. He and Luke played all the rest of the afternoon.



After supper, he joined us on our bike ride. Jason sure got his work-out. He was pulling 100 lbs worth of boys in the Little Emperor ride – except he had two Little Emperors. They loved it.





Then we had to take him back. Wish we could just keep him. Lol! He’s a good playmate for Luke. And he's so adorable. We were probably pretty funny trying to communicate. One thing for sure, it was interesting!

Well as always, I appreciate you stopping by today and I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for Faithful Friday. Or better yet, join us!  (The button code that links back to her blog is now on my button page for you to grab).

♥ Tammy ♥