SUPERNACHOS!

Over the weekend it was bedlam in our state. When Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play a tiny little game of football !

We hosted a basketball tournament over the weekend as well that had us at home catching the game on T.V.

And enjoying a tailgate favorite…SUPERNACHOS!


Here’s what ya’ need

 ½ pound hamburger
½ ground sausage
½ chopped yellow onion
2 cans bean dip
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
3 Cups grated cheese {your choice}


Brown your meats with the chopped onion until browned well. Preheat oven to 350*. Spread the 2 cans of bean dip in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer your browned meat mixture on top of the beans. Toss on your green chilies and sprinkle with grated cheese.


Bake for 30 minutes and serve with chips, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Sorry, I failed to take a picture of the completed cooked dish. We devoured it before I remembered I needed to take a picture of it.


Linking up over here today Tempt my Tummy - Tuesday at the Table - Tasty Tuesday

Well did you eat until you were about to pop?

I know that we all ate till our belly’s cried for help.

I hope that your Thanksgiving was blessed with family, friends, fellowship and DSI playing.

Did anyone brave the battle on Black Friday? Thankfully this year we have completed our Christmas shopping in advance so that we can enjoy the spirit of Christmas. But, we headed out for a bit to look for daddy a pair of boots for his Birthday.


And look what we came home with…

Gabe has not been this excited over a pair of shoes boots ever!

It’s the first thing he put’s when he gets up.

 

Who would have guessed?

This is one yuppie young cowboy!

Knock Off Mercury Glass

Have I got something to add to your never ending Christmas “to do” list folks!



I stumbled across a new little blog with a fabulous tutorial on how to make this!

I think this is the closest knock off of mercury glass I have ever seen. If you want to know the how to on this little project pop over to Blue Creek Basement. She has easy step by step directions that anyone can follow. Be sure to stop by and tell her thanks!


Have fun!

Linked this up for her at Seven Thirty Three - Thrifty Home - Show and Tell

Southern Beef Rice Casserole

Today I share with you a recipe that will make your holidays so much easier.



Southern Beef Rice Casserole is a family favorite of ours and was passed onto me from my mother-in-law.


It’s hearty, easy to prepare and freezes fabulously!




Here is what ya’ need.

1 pound ground beef {I use ground turkey}
1 med. Onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.


Brown all together until well cooked.


Add:


1 can Mexican {drained}
1 can chopped tomatoes
½ can tomato sauce
¼ cup water
2 Tablespoons chili powder {trust me}

 Mix well and allow to simmer while you cook 1 cup of rice in 2 ¼ water, following directions on the bag.


When rice is done mix with your meat sauce and spread into a 9x10 pan and top with grated cheese.

 I like to use two 8x8 pans and freeze one.


Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes until cheese melts.

 A great meal to make and freeze and take to neighbors for them to enjoy on a busy holiday evening.


I will be linking up at these great blogs today! Tempt My Tummy - Tuesday at the Table - Tasty Tuesday - Paisley Passions

A Great Deal and A Winner!

First, I hit a fabulous deal over the weekend! You know the WOW ones you can’t believe you stumble across.


If there is one thing in life I despise it’s visiting Wal-mart on a weekend, Ugh! Honestly it takes me longer to park and check out than to actually walk the store for what I need. After dragging myself out Saturday morning I saw they had their Sonicare toothbrushes marked down from $78.94 to $37.94! Then I remembered I had two coupons for $25.00 one Sonicare toothbrush AND I had them with me. So I placed two in my cart and went to check out. I purchased two Sonicare toothbrushes for $12.94 each! That is a savings of $132.00!

It might not hurt to check your local Wal-mart on your next visit. I’m not quite sure when the coupons came out in the paper. I am not that organized. And I know not all Wal-marts price the same but this deal is to good to not at least check.


Onto our winner of The Help.


Hands down most of you stated Sweet Potatoes were a must at your Thanksgiving meal. If I am to be honest I have never really given the Sweet Potato much of a chance! Just something about a potato and marshmallow together that I have not gotten over. But, thanks to you I will be test trying a few over the holidays.




Thanks to everyone that entered but sadly I can only give the book to one person. Random.org picked comment number 4. Congrats to bussellmomof3 please email me your mailing info and I will drop this book in the mail to you.


I hope the rest of you kiddos take the time to read this great book. I just heard they made it into a movie. And you know that it’s so much better when you read the book first.


Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato pie {smile}!

It's Christmas Card Time

Its Christmas card time again folks!

 I had the privilege of taking my niece and nephews Christmas pictures a few weeks ago on a glorious Saturday morning.

 My niece, age 7, is an old pro at working the camera.

My nephew, age 3, not so much and I had to bribe him with a half eaten Honey Bun to get him to smile.

 We started out having no idea where to take them. But I knew it was going to be outside as I work best in natural light.

 My sister wanted an old fence post, or something rustic along that line.

So as I drove down some back roads and came to a screeching halt when I saw this off to my left.

The lighting was perfect and the leaves absolutely beautiful! I was just hoping that if we got caught the owner would be just as nice! Yes, if I ever take pictures on private property I like to get permission first!

I have had a few friends ask me to take their family pictures as well this year and I thought what the hay! It really is a fun creative outlet for me.

So I thought I would pass on my amateur skills to you as well. If you are in the Oklahoma City area and are interested in me taking your family pictures I would be more than happy to help you create those memories. Just shoot me an email here and I will get back to you as soon as possible. I will provide you with a sitting fee, digitally corrected images in high resolution all downloaded onto a disk with copyrights for you to use as you please!

Linking up here today Finding Fabulous - Finger Prints on The Fridge - Sassy Sites

The Help Giveaway

Have you heard about Kathryn Stockett’s first novel, The Help? I know it has been out for some time and a lot of you are probably much more ahead of the curve than I.

But I just finished reading this book on the lives of three women. Two of whom are African American and the other Caucasian during the early 60’s in Mississippi. I loved how it took me back to that era and I felt as if I was right there with Skeeter.

Well, I have finished up my hardback copy and now want to pass it onto you.


So today I am giving away a copy of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. All you have to do is leave me a comment on what your favorite dish to eat on Thanksgiving is.


That’s it!

 A random winner will be picked on Sunday November 20th and announced on Monday November 22nd.


Good luck to you!

Linking up at the Shabby Chic - Black Cat Design - Paisley Passions -  Beyond the Picket Fence

Yes, there has been coaster after coaster tutorials across blog land. But I promise that this one will turn the most heads. Cost you less than $.66 cents each and is easy peasy to make!

 

Here is what you need to gather up first.

Tumbled Travertine tiles
Mod Podge
Sponge Brush
Artist Acrylic matte Gel Matte Medium {Hob Lob or Michaels} This can be pricey between $11-$20 dollars so make sure to use a 40% off coupon when buying
Your favorite pictures printed in color or black and white, reversed on laser printers only!




I tried these tiles both with pictures of friends and pictures of important places. By far the pictures of the places turned out better.

First up you need to print your picture. I placed my pictue in a word document and then reversed the image like you see here. You will be transposing the picture onto the stone so this is a very important step.

 Using your sponge brush , brush a medium thick layer of gel matte medium over the top of your picture.

I then placed my tile, right side down, on top of my picture. Let dry at least 3-4 hours.

 Then run under COLD water until top layer of paper dissolves. Gently using your thumbs to roll away the top layer of paper.

Allow for the tile to dry completely and coat with one-two layers of Mod podge . These make a perfect gift just about for anyone. It just so happened that we used the College World Series to create coasters to gift to our coaches. So think of a favorite place to visit, eat or travel to and create a one of a kind gift.

I will be linking up and sharing at these great blogs  Show and Tell - Trendy Treehouse - Backyard Eden - Night Owl Crafting - Fire Flies and Jellybeans - Paisley Passions - Finding Fabulous - Black Cat Design -  Beyond the Picket Fence

Chicken a la King with Sharp Cheddar Cheese Waffles

I have to admit that I rarely go to the mall anymore. Maybe a few times a year, it’s just so much easier to shop online. I have come to value my time and a mall is not where I like to spend it! It’s much better used hanging out with the family, working on a new project or cooking.



So a few weeks back, while my hubby was shopping at Dillard’s, the kiddos and I were standing at the register reading this little surprise.

 Turns out Dillard’s always has a fundraising item over the holidays to support a local organization. I am not sure if it was sheer hunger at the time but EVERYTHING sounded good in this little book.

Can you see all my post- noted recipes I want to try? This cookbook really has a ton of things I cannot wait to eat.

This weekend I tested out my first recipe, Chicken a la King with Sharp Cheddar Cornmeal Waffles

Chicken a la King

4 cups chicken broth
2 pounds skinned /boned chicken breasts
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 red bell peppers, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 {8 once} package fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste


Pour broth in dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat to medium0high and cook uncovered, 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from broth coarsely chop, and set aside. Strain broth through sieve and return to dutch oven; simmer uncovered, over medium-high heat until juices are reduced to 2 ½ cups {10-20 minutes}.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté red bell pepper and onion 4 minutes until tender. Add mushrooms, salt, and ground sauté 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

While broth continues to simmer, preheat waffle iron and cook waffles.

 
Melt remaining butter in dutch oven over low heat; whisk flour, dry sherry and lemon juice. Cook 3 minutes whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in reserved broth and 2 cups whipping cream; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened and bubbly.

 Add chicken and reserved vegetables to sauce. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over Cheddar Waffles!

Sharp Cheddar- Cornmeal Waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup club soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil




Sift together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and pecans. Combine eggs and next 3 ingredients gently stir into dry ingredients just until blended.

Spoon heaping 1 cup batter evenly onto preheated, lightly greased waffle iron. Cook 5-10 minutes or until crisp and done. Repeat with remaing batter.


 This dinner was delish and makes a ton. I had enough left over to freeze for another meal. Just reheat your waffles in the toaster. It was funny to watch the kids come to the table. They thought I had topped cinnamon waffles with chicken!


I can’t wait to try out some more things from this cookbook. If you happen to have a Dillard's near you this is a great buy at $10 bucks. A perfect stocking stuffer for the cook in your family.

I will be linking up to these great sites today. Stop on by if you get a chance! Tempt My Tummy - Tuesday at The Table - Tasty Tuesday

Thanksgiving Lunch Box Love!

My kids are loving all the cute notes I have been dropping in their lunch bags for the holidays. They often hang onto them for a few weeks. I like to write my own note on the back followed with a lipstick kiss!


Crafts & Sutch has created some really cute lunch box notes for Thanksgiving!

Click HERE and head over to Crafts and Sutch to print your FREE lunch box notes.

Thanksgiving Hostess Gift Idea

I have the most perfect little hostess gift idea for you today.



This little lady over at Craftily Ever After as a super cute FREE printable for the upcoming Holiday.

So I printed a few out

 

Went to Michael's and picked up a few black frames. Sadly, I have not been stock piling enough from Goodwill lately.

And dropped in my print out.

 

Placed a cute ribbon on and now I have the perfect Thanksgiving Hostess Gift.


As always simple, quick and almost FREE!


Linking up at these great sites today Trendy Treehouse - The Thrifty Home - My Backyard Eden - Sew Woodsy