It's a snow day and you know what that means...

EATING!!! You literally feel like you have to eat. Dave and I have done pretty good today: Weight Watchers breakfast sandwiches, 2 low sugar peanut butter cookies, and half a lean pocket (Dave had a bag of chips), but we knew we were waiting for dinner tonight of spaghetti and meatballs!!

I never made meatballs before the Dave...and I never used Italian sausage either. So the first birthday dinner I made for him was spaghetti and meatballs. I knew the basics, but ended up doing things my own way.

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 ground Italian sausage
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 table spoon Italian seasoning
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Mix the ingrediants together and form into walnut size balls.
2. Brown balls in olive oil- turning to get sides browned.
3. Add to sauce of choice and simmer for at least 30 minutes (I do 60)


Still looking for a perfect sauce recipe. Mine is ok, but still looking to improve!
We had homemade garlic cheese bread with this.

Lower Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies

I saw this recipe on Paula Deene a couple of years ago, and I love it. It's lower in sugar and carbs than regular peanut butter cookies so it's a good thing.

1 cup peanut butter- chunky or creamy
1 AND 1/3 cup Splenda ( I use the WalMart brand)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix the peanut butter, 1 cup of splenda, egg, and vanilla together.
2. Roll dough into walnut size balls and drop into remaining splenda. Press down on
greased cookie sheet with fork for that special peanut butter cookie look!
3. Bake at 350* for 11-12 minutes. Remove and sprinkle more splenda on top.
4. Cool and enjoy!

Taco Soup

I am sure there is a recipe or two out there for Taco Soup.... although I 'invented' my version one night. Dave loves tomato soup so one night, I added some extras to our soup and sandwich night. What came out of it is my taco soup...

Taco Soup

2 cans tomato soup, plus one can of water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup green pepper
1 tbsp. chopped jalepeno
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
4 oz LEAN ground beef
3 tbsp. taco seasoning

1. Brown meat along with onions and peppers. Add 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning.
2. Add soups and water; add salsa and jalepenos and rest of taco seasoning.
3. Bring to boil and then allow to simmer 15 minutes, stirring at times.
4. Serve with crackers or fritos! OR NOT!!


I think tomato soup might be the versatile item in your pantry! It's great at it is, but adding some "ooomph" to it makes it even more awesome!!

Easy Mexican Cornbread Muffins

Ok, one thing I do not do is make real cornbread. I probably could, but I choose NOT to... But I do love cornbread and so does the Dave. My mother makes wonderful mexican cornbread, but I do something a little different that works out just fine for me.

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
3 tablespoons salsa
10 slices jalepenos, chopped
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/3 cup milk
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1. Empty Jiffy mix into bowl and add egg.
2. Add salsa and jalepenos and mix together.
3. Add milk-watch this as it might get too wet! Add cheese and onion. Mix well
4. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray, fill 1/2 way, and bake at 350* for 15-18
minutes.

Just an easy way to make mexican cornbread.

My Daddy's Favorite Cookies!!

About a year before my Papa died, he instructed me to go through the house and take what I wanted. Inside the china cabinet was a small brown recipe box. Inside this box were some recipes that my Nana had made her family fat with! That Thanksgiving, my dad said something about a recipe for cherry wink cookies. I NEVER recalled Nana making these cookies, but he said she made them special for him. So low and behold, there is the recipe, cut off the corn flake box from who knows when. That Christmas I made my father these cookies...and every year since. I feel like I am giving him a little bit of his mother back every time I do it.

Her birthday would have been this Wednesday and even though it's been almost 18 years since we lost her- we sure do miss her!


Cherry Wink Cookies

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped pecans
1 cup dates chopped
1 c. maraschino cherries, drained & chopped
red food coloring
Corn Flakes- crushed

1. Cream shortening and sugar.
2. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat well. Add drops of red food coloring
to get to desired color
3. Mix the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.
4. Stir in the pecans,dates and the maraschino cherries.
5. Drop by tablespoonful into corn flake crumbs. Toss lightly to coat; form into
balls, flatten a bit, and place a quarter of a cherry on top of each
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 13 minutes. Watch them!!
7. Allow to cool on sheet before moving to rack.

Why do you always say 'watch them' when giving a cookie recipe??? I went about 13 minutes on these today so just watch them!!

I also sent a couple of these cookies with Dave in the first care package I gave him right after we started dating... figured it couldn't hurt to tease him with my cooking!!

Always wondered...

I stumbled across this website today and thought to share.... I think when I cook at home I am being more healthy than eating out... so this lets you have an idea. But then again, maybe I don't want to know!!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

I knew it!!

Click on this link and see the tidbit about cinnamon... so not only is it great in your coffee as I said, it's good for you too!!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eating/

I love cinnamon- it makes the holidays great and can brighten up your dreary winter!!

As promised on Facebook.... Chicken Soup!

There are two 'pot' meals that I associate with cold weather and winter: chicken soup and chili. I make a pretty mean bowl of both, but today I made the soup. Dave and I are dieting- as we try to regain our premarriage physiques- but I determined that I would make a good meal each Saturday and we would NOT overdue it. I started making this soup years ago by trial and error so of course I had never written it down. I don't know HOW those chefs/cooks do it!! I think I have measurements right, but feel free to change things, but this is what I put in my chicken soup and how I make it... I also served this with my beer muffins and maple butter!! YUMMY!!


Chicken Soup

6 cups homemade chicken stock plus 2- 3 cups water
2 – 6 oz. bonesless chicken breasts ( 12 oz)
1 cup chopped onion (or less if you don’t like onion)
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup celery
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup green beans
1 small can lima beans
½ tsp of garlic powder
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp fresh or dried parsley
½ tsp celery seed
1 tsp sage
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup pasta of choice
Salt and pepper to taste


1. In a large stock pot, sauté onion, pepper, and celery in extra virgin olive oil- about 2 tablespoons. Cook until veggies are beginning to get tender then add stock and bring to boil.
2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add chicken and to the pot. Add 1 cup water.
3. Add seasonings and other veggies; bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 45 hour to allow carrots to cook through. Stir often and keep covered.
4. Add 2 tablespoons butter, pasta, and 1-2 cups of water- cover and let pasta cook for 30- 40 minutes. The pasta will absorb some liquid during cooking.
5. We love it with the ‘shakey’* cheese on top!!!

** Shakey cheese is what my nieces call parmesan cheese!!

This recipe is DAVE tested and Murphy approved!!!

Microwave Peanut Brittle

Years ago (and I mean YEARS ago), I made peanut brittle in the microwave and then lost the recipe. I recently found a recipe that I decided to try out and I am well pleased with the results!

I love peanut brittle! It is something that I remember my Nana making during the holidays- she did it the old fashioned way. Me? NOPE, anything that requires a candy thermometer is NOT welcome in my house!! I just don't make candy well at all, but this turns out pretty good!!

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup, light
1 cups peanuts, roasted, salted, shelled
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a 2-quart microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Add peanuts and microwave on HIGH for four minutes, or until lightly brown. Add butter and vanilla to syrup, stirring well.

Microwave on high for 1 and 1/2 minutes more. Stir baking soda into mixture and mix until foamy.

Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool. Break into pieces when fully cooled.


I tried this and have adapted the times a bit since my peanuts started to burn just a bit in the second microwaving stage...

Hope it works out well for you!!

A new year and a new way of thinking...

Ok, so less than a month after I decide to start a cooking blog, my husband decides he needs to lose weight! GREAT.. now what do I do? He had a way he likes to lose pounds and I have a way I like to lose pounds, so here we are in a stand still... what to do??

I still plan to share ideas and recipes when I do them, but now I expect I will not blog as much as I had originally planned!

Here is a recipe for some really amazing beer muffins. It's not exact so use your best judgement.


Beer Muffins ala Belinda

3 cups Bisquick
1 can of beer... use a light to moderate flavor
I do not recommend heavy or dark beers like Guinness


Mix the beer- not the full can- into the Bisquick until you get a good sticky consistency. Place in greased muffin tin and bake for12-14 minutes at 375*.

I have added cheese to these before for a special treat. Also, some thyme is great along with just a pinch of garlic powder to add flavor.