Why am obsessed with making wreaths?

I made this fun wreath with a wreath form, some red yarn, felt roses(strips of felt rolled to look like a rose), and some cute hearts I found at Michaels!

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 cups potatoes, diced
1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 can of Le Suer Baby Carrots
1 can of Whole Green Beans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 (15 ounce) packages refrigerated pie crusts (or use your favorite pie crust recipe!)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half or heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
salt and pepper

# 1 Saute potatoes in margarine for 5 minutes in a Dutch oven.
# 2 Add onion, celery and drained vegetables.
# 3 Saute for another 10 minutes.
# 4 Add flour gradually to the sauteed mixture, stirring constantly for one minute.
# 5 Allow refrigerated pie crust to come to room temperature.
# 6 Meanwhile, combine chicken broth and half and half.
# 7 Gradually stir into the vegetable mixture.
# 8 Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper.
# 9 Add chopped chicken, stirring well.
# 10 Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
# 11 Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
# 12 Spray a 9 X 13 casserole with nonstick spray.
# 13 Place pie crust on the bottom of the pan to cover, cutting to fit.
# 14 Pour chicken/vegetable mixture over the pie crust.
# 15 Top with the remaining pie crust.
# 16 Cut vents in the top crust.
# 17 Bake for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Chicken and Sausage Jumbalya

1 lb. smoked pork sausage (sliced)
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs (or breasts if you don’t like dark meat) dark=more flavor
3 c. white long grain rice
6 c. water
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 chopped white onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
3 tsp. of chopped/minced garlic
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tbsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp. Pepper (or to taste)
3-4 drops of kitchen bouquet sauce (optional – this is for darker color)
A few sprinkles of cayenne pepper
Robert’s Louisiana seasoning (or "Season All") – teaspoon
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. Louisiana Hot Sauce


In a large pot over medium/high heat "brown" your sliced sausage in the vegetable oil for approximately 5-7 minutes, stirring and turning – you want it to look cooked, and the bottom of the pot to be dark – the sausage will have a tendency to "stick" to the bottom, this is OK, that’s when you know it’s time to remove the sausage.

Repeat sausage step, except this time with the chicken – remove from heat. *

Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Sautee in the same pot until transparent and covered with the dark remains of Put your chicken and sausage back in the pot, along with the water. Also, add your seasonings, worchestershire, and Kitchen bouquet – While stirring occasionally, bring to a full boil

Add rice, bullion cubes, hot sauce,— Stir occasionally and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to simmer, and cover for 1 hour. – DO NOT REMOVE LID DURING THIS TIME

It's funny how I get my kids to eat more fruit....

It doesn't matter what it is my kids always think it's a treat if I put it on a stick.

Greek Salad with lots and lots of black olives

This recipe has lots of black olives, which is one of the reasons we love it in our house. If your family doesn't love them as much, you could certainly add less, and this salad will be just as good!

* 1 English seedless cucumber, diced into bite sized pieces
* 1 bell pepper, diced into bite sized pieces
* 4 celery ribs with leafy greens intact, chopped
* 1/2 large red onion, chopped
* 2 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
* 1/2 lb feta, crumbled
* 1 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
* 6 peperoncini, chopped
* juice of 2 lemons
* 3 Tbsp. olive oil
* salt to taste

1. Whisk lemon juice and oil together.
2. Toss all of the ingredients together with the dressing until coated. Add salt to taste.

Camping at home on a Wednesday night

Ground Beef
Onion
Potatoes
Baby Carrots
Aluminum Foil
Garlic powder
salt and pepper

Make patties out of the ground beef. Peel and slice onion. Slice potatoes into chunks. Place each patty in the center of a large sheet of foil. Top with onion, potatoes, and carrots. Close packet and seal well. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, or until done.

Bread Pudding, Dessert or Breakfast????

2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons maple extract
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 to 5 cups french bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, maple, and milk. Add sugar and mix until sugar is dissoved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a nine-inch baking dish, keeping the crust facing up around the edges in scattered within the dish. Pour liquid over the bread. Sprinkle walnuts all over and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top.

While the bread pudding is baking, make the Whiskey Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup Jack Daniels

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Pour a small amount over the individual servings of bread pudding.