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Archive for November, 2010

Menu Plan Monday

Posted in Menu Planning on November 29, 2010|

Whew!  Thanksgiving and Game Night are over and I am almost cooked out!  This week’s menu will probably be filled with quick and easy things to recover from this weekend’s rich and heavy food.  I love the food we have eaten in the last few days, but my stomach and waistline won’t hold up to much more.

Here is the plan for the next few days:

Tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches

Grilled pork chops & potatoes

Salisbury steak & roasted potatoes

Sausage bake & fruit

Pizza night

Grilled hot dogs & chips

Meatloaf

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Deck The Halls

Posted in Our Town on November 28, 2010|

As I mentioned on here last week, we had a chili/soup/game night at our house last night for 14 people including C & myself and it turned into a really fun night!!

I wanted to finish decorating for Christmas before the party and it was mission accomplished on Friday afternoon.  Friday night was spent baking my two desserts which will be featured on here in the near future.  That left the cleaning and soup making for Saturday.  Even with both of us working, it still took all day to finish everything, but I am a little bit of a neat freak so I usually go overboard on the cleaning.

We have a lighted wreath hanging on our front door and the extension cord runs inside the house for power.  I needed to hide the cord and outlet since it is right inside the front door so I put a few baskets that I had already to use.  I stacked the 3 baskets in front of the outlet and it looked like this…

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Not bad, but it was missing something.  When I walked Ellie that morning, I took my garden clippers and a bag to collect some greenery and berries.  I also raided my in-law’s yard for some pinecones and holly branches.  I started the arrangement with cedar and pine branches…

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Then I filled in with the holly, pine cones and berries.

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I thought it made a nice addition to the entry for absolutely no cost since I already had the baskets!

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Here are the other interior decorations.  The dining room…

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The staircase…

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The kitchen…

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The living room…

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The office…

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And, last but not least, the stair landing…

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Now that the decorating is finished, I MUST start Christmas shopping!!

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Spotlight

Posted in Cooking on November 25, 2010|

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Yesterday was ingredient spotlight day at Eat At Home Cooks and I completely forgot!  This week’s special ingredient is cream cheese.

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Perfect Pecan Pie

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , on November 23, 2010| 12 Comments »

I have been a search for the perfect pecan pie recipe.  This may sound silly, but I remember when I was little, the local chicken restaurant would have individual pecan pie slices for sale in small plastic containers.  I thought these were just great at the time, and I have been a big pecan pie fan ever since.  I now know that just about anything sold in individual plastic containers like that is not as good as homemade so I have been looking for the right recipe. 

I found what I think is the best pie over at Southern Plate.  The only change I made was to the cooking time and that is because my oven cooks a little slow.  I had to extend the time by about 10 minutes, which I do with a lot of recipes.

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup white corn syrup

3/4 stick butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell

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In a medium bowl, beat eggs.  Blend in the sugar.

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Stir in the remaining ingredients, mixing well.  Pour into the pie shell and place in a COLD oven.  Turn oven to 300 degrees and bake for 60-70 minutes.  Enjoy!

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“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.”

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Menu Plan Monday

Posted in Menu Planning on November 22, 2010|

Thanksgiving week is here and that means lots and lots of cooking.  C & I will celebrate Thanksgiving day lunch at his granny’s and I am providing dessert and baking the ham.  Thanksgiving supper will be at my nanny’s and I am contributing dessert, sweet potato casserole and roasted potatoes for that meal.  We will be stuffed to the gills that night and so happy about it, too!

Saturday night, C & I are hosting a game night at our house for some family and friends, so that means even more cooking.  That night will be all about soup and chili.  Here is this week’s list including something new I fixed yesterday…

Sunday-hamburger stew (recipe coming soon) with cornbread muffins

Monday: sausage cheese dip with chips

Tuesday: leftover sausage cheese dip with chips

Wednesday: pizza night so I can start on my Thanksgiving cooking

Thursday: Crock pot citrus ham (recipe coming soon), sweet potato casserole (recipe coming soon), butter roasted potatoes (recipe coming soon), and Italian cream cake (recipe coming soon)

Friday: LEFTOVERS!!!

Saturday: chili, spicy vegetable soup (recipe coming soon), pecan pimento cheese sandwiches, chocolate-pecan pie bars (recipe coming soon), and browned butter blondies (recipe coming soon).

I hope everyone has a blessed and safe Thanksgiving!

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Good graffiti!

Posted in Home on November 21, 2010|

A few months ago I purchased 2 wall saying decals to put in our house and I just now made time to hang them.  They are so pretty!!!  C helped me level and install them because my level is never the same as the level’s level.

It took about an hour to do both and most of that time was spent double checking ourselves to make sure we were doing it right.

This one is in the kitchen over the opening into the living room…

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The second one is in the utility room with Southern Living bumblebee hooks underneath it.

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Now I finally have someplace to put hangers when I am doing laundry after four and a half years!

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Spotlight

Posted in Cooking on November 17, 2010|

Today is ingredient spotlight is on beef or pork roasts at Eat At Home Cooks.  Check it out!

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Menu Plan Monday

Posted in Menu Planning on November 15, 2010|

Another week has passed and we are in the middle of November, folks.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away, and that means lots of cooking and eating and dishwashing going on here.  I have even started doing a small amount of Christmas decorating in the house since we are having a chili/soup/game night at our house on Thanksgiving weekend.  Like I said, there will be lots of cooking and eating and dishwashing!

Here is this week’s plan which, thankfully, is not quite as crowded as next week’s will be.

Taco soup

Baked ham slices with roasted potatoes

Banana pancakes with bacon

Sausage bake

Pork chops with roasted potatoes

Pizza night

Best Butter Cupcakes with brown butter frosting (2 new recipes!)

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Chess Cake (Bars)

Posted in Cooking on November 13, 2010| 6 Comments »

When I first started working at the local courthouse 16+ years ago, the sheriff’s wife was his secretary.  Whenever we would have potlucks, we always requested that she bring chess bars.  I had never had them until then, but I was hooked!  This recipe is not hers, but it has the same taste.  These bars are filled with buttery goodness and it is really hard to stop at one!

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter, softened and diced

1 tsp vanilla, divided

4 eggs, divided

1 lb powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13×9” baking pan.  Combine cake mix, butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 eggs.  Pat into the baking pan and set aside.

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In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cream cheese, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 3 eggs.  Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer.  Pour over cake mix crust.  Bake for 45-55 minutes or until lightly browned and crusty.

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“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.”

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Spotlight

Posted in Cooking on November 10, 2010|

It is ingredient spotlight day at Eat At Home Cooks.  This week’s ingredient is oats. 

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