Dance Recital '22

It's that time of year again - this weekend is Spirit Expressions dance recital and I'm in it with my adult tap class. The recital theme is 'It takes a Village' so all the numbers represent a place, person, or thing in our town. I was really not happy with our assignment representing the retirement center! I don't think adults being older adults is fun LOL - like I'm already an old person so playing even older isn't cool! But then I decided if I'm gonna play a granny I'd make her a funky granny and got more into the spirit of the thing, I ended up really enjoying my costume and the routine.  

Everyone made their own costumes which is pretty funny so we've got everything from granny in rollers and robe, rehab granny, farmer, a couple of men, church lady, etc. My favorite has to be Angela who totally went for it - she's got a bald wig and a big hairy belly sticking out of her too short tshirt (it's a belt bag haha). 

Here's a couple pics that I took off Facebook of the old-timers - I don't have a picture of all of us together but I'll update this post after the recital, I'm sure there'll be lots more:

4.30.21: mushy-roomy rice

4.30.20: birthday 'cake' tower

4.30.19: pillbox travel container

4.30.18: Kyle's smoker

4.30.17: hasselback potatoes

4.30.16: recital

Eggs Florentine

I've made my version of eggs florentine forever - so long I don't even remember how I came up with doing it this way - when I google for actual recipes some are served over english muffins or toast; some have wilted spinach and hollandaise sauce; others have mushrooms, prosciutto, etc. For what it's worth this is what I do, and we love it! 

Ingredients:

• creamed spinach, heated thru (either purchase in frozen section or make your own, see below)
• poached eggs
• swiss cheese (or other white cheese that melts nicely), thin slices or shredded

Directions: 

For each serving: spread a spoonful of hot creamed spinach in a shallow bowl or larger ramekin. Top with a poached egg or two, sprinkle with cheese or lay cheese slices over the eggs, pop under the broiler until the cheese melts. 

not my photo but wanted you to have an idea
what it looks like, image found here

Giada De Laurentiis has a recipe on the food network that looks good - she places a tomato slice on each plate, topped with creamed spinach and poached eggs, then sprinkled with crumbled cooked prosciutto. I will try adding tomato to my standard version. 

This is a simple and quick dish if you can find frozen creamed spinach - if you can't I'm copying and pasting a recipe below that I found at cafedelites.com

INGREDIENTS

• 16 ounces (450 g) baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, divided
• 1 an onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk, or half and half
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg, optional
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper,optional
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

• Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes until light golden. Add in the onion and cook until transparent (about 2-3 minutes), then add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). 
• Pour in the milk (or half and half), whisking constantly until the white sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne (If using). If the sauce is too thick, add another 1/4 cup of milk to the sauce, whisking it through until reaching your desired thickness.
• For the spinach: melt the remaining butter in a separate pan, and add spinach in batches, wilting each batch before adding the next, until all spinach is wilted. (Add a small spoon of water if the pan gets too dry.)Alternatively: Cook the spinach in a pot of boiling water for just one minute; then immerse in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process. Squeeze out any excess water from the leaves and set aside. Season the cream sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Add wilted spinach to the cream sauce, stirring gently to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

NOTES

*Instead of fresh spinach, you can use 1 x 16 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach. Thaw and squeeze dry before adding to the sauce.
4.29.21: lemon glazed chicken breast 

4.29.20: grandma's cinnamon twists

4.29.19: make a cork trivet
4.29.18: Mickey shows how to make a raised bed
4.29.17: dance recital
4.29.16: dollar store frame with clip

MSIH: Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

My sister asked me this week if I’m hungry and of course the answer is heck yeah!!

I sent her some random recipe’s I found and saved to see if she wanted to try any of those. (last time that’s how I got that awesome crack chicken stuff.. yum.  Look that one up if you haven’t tried it yet).  oh also I think I sent her that amazing peanut butter one that had nutter butters in the bottom.  I could eat that one for dinner – even if I shouldn’t. LOL.

So anyway- this time was some kind of crock pot chicken and rice dish.  She was kind enough to make it for us so I was of course happy to try it and tell her what I think! (the least I can do!)

This one wasn’t an award winner for us.  It had “potential” but the way the recipe was as written was only ok.  The chicken had good flavor, I loved the corn, I think the issue was just that it all kind of blended together in one big mush.  Not a ton of flavor but “decent”.  The second night we still had left overs so since I don’t want to cook for myself I decided to doctor it and try again.

I added more chicken soup (to make it saucier), a scoop of light sour cream, and some more Colby jack cheese on top.  I then baked it in the oven until cheese melted.  This honestly was a bit better.  It gave it more flavor.  Upon more thought I think I should have added maybe broccoli?  Or mushrooms?  Just to add a different texture?  It definitely has potential with a little more something.  I make suggestions only- I’m sure Jill can figure out what that right “something” is- and I’ll be ready to try it again. HAHAHA 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1 large onion, chopped 

1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup 

1 (8 ounce) box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1. Place chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle chopped onion over top and dollop cream of chicken soup over top. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3 hours. 
2. About 30 minutes before serving, cook the rice according to package instructions. 

3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred; return to slow cooker.

4. Once rice is cooked, stir it into the chicken mixture in the slow cooker. Stir in shredded cheese and corn. Continue cooking just until cheese is melted. 

found here

Jill here - I agree with the review, the flavor is good but it melded together into the same texture and color so it comes off as 'mushy'; adding broccoli and/or mushrooms, or peas to add another texture and color would make it better. It's a worthwhile recipe, just needs a little tweak. 

4.28.21: tortilla pizza

4.28.20: TT: baking powder

4.28.19: 🔥

4.28.18: cucumber cooler

4.28.17: Brooke made slime

4.28.16: sample sale photography

Stuffing with Zucchini

Stuffing with Zucchini? Stuffing and zucchini? Or should it be 'zucchini with stuffing'? Don't know - don't care as all of them are dumb names hahahah. I do know that I'm not a huge zucchini lover, or a big stuffing fan - but for some reason combining I really like the combination of the two! Whether it's because it tones down the zucchini texture (I don't like when it's cooked and gets really soft) or because it lightens up the stuffing - either way this is a keeper in my book.

I know it's starting to warm up and a side dish of stuffing might not sound right, but we had it with a salad and grilled pork chops so didn't seem too heavy - if you don't want it now just save it for later in the year!

Super easy - chop up zucchini into bite sized chunks and put in a shallow casserole dish (I sprayed the dish with non-stick cooking spray first); make stove-top (or your favorite stuffing mix) according to package directions and layer it over the zucchini. (note: I didn't add anything to the stove-top, just mixed the seasoned bread with water and melted butter). Bake for 30 minutes until the stuffing is hot and golden brown. Stir it up and enjoy (hopefully you'll like this as much as we do!)

4.27.21: TT stovetop splatter tip

4.27.20: t-shirt face mask

4.27.19: Brooke made a bubble maker - hey, that'd be a fun boredom buster for the kiddos!

4.27.18: Mickey's beersbee - an adult boredom buster!

4.27.17: accessories closet - organizing, now that's my kind of boredom busting ;)

4.27.16: decadent chocolate cake - not sure I can call cake a boredom buster LOL

Tip-sy Tuesday: front or back?

I love when tops don't have a tag sewn in, most of the time if there's a tag I have to remove it (and yep, I have quite a few shirts with tiny holes in the back from my clumsy tag removal!). But there have been times if there is no tag, or the printed label wears off, or I removed the tag and can't tell where it was, that I can't tell which is the front and which is the back. I just discovered that for women, if there is a tag sewn along a side seam, usually towards the bottom, wear the shirt so the tag is on the left side. Not sure why I've never noticed this but since reading that tip I keep looking and sure enough, all of my shirts (and even my coats) have the tag on the left side. 

I don't have a picture of a shirt with the tag on the left hahahhaha, use your imagination ;) 

4.26.21: crockpot golden mushroom pork chops

4.26.20: 🔥week 17

4.26.19: how to design a spring planter

4.26.18: Mickey's spring flowers

4.26.17: double chocolate oatmeal bars

4.26.16: canister vacuum wand guard

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Candy

Long story but the gist of it is that while we were camping in Florida, the a/c went out in the motorhome and it was only like 4,000 degrees there, and Al and Cathy offered up their cool and comfortable house while they were away. In addition to the a/c I was also able to take advantage of having an oven and space to make a couple things - like the previously posted easy tiramisu (click here), and this wicked and addicting chocolate caramel pretzel candy. This stuff is money!

Dave says it's his new favorite thing. Fortunately it's also very, very easy to make. Unfortunately it's very,

very delicious and dangerous to have around hahahha. 

• 4 cups butter snap pretzels, or mini twists
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• coarse salt, optional

Preheat oven to 325'. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay pretzels out, tightly packed together but not overlapping. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and sugar together over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil, then continue to boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly. 

Pour the bubbly mixture over the pretzels. It's ok if they aren't all coated, the caramel sauce will even out as it bakes. Bake at 325' for 8 to 10 minutes until the entire top is bubbling. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over top, bake for an additional minute or two until the chocolate is soft enough to spread. Using a spatula or knife, spread the melted chips into an even layer. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. 

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. (note, the pan wouldn't fit in Cathy's freezer so I left it on the counter until it cooled and then put it in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate was hard). Crack or cut into pieces and enjoy!

I challenge you to try to resist eating all the little scraps - hahah just kidding, you don't want to waste any of this deliciousness!

original recipe found here at onelittleproject.com

4.25.21: 🔥 week 17

4.25.20: coffee filter glass cleaner

4.25.19: topopo salad

4.25.18: Mickey's DIY sensory boxes

4.25.17: organizing recipes

4.25.16: washi tape feathers

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 17)

Dear Campers ~

I just realized I never did a recap for this week, and am doing it a couple weeks late just so it's on the blog in case you want to reference it! This is what happened this week at camp:

4/17: 🔥 week 16

4/18: turkey taco filling

4/19: TT drink coaster hack

4/20: pork tenderloin glaze

4/21: MSIH: chicken broccoli casserole

4/22: Jen's toaster bag review

4/23: filled mini stuffed peppers

The shortest post ever, but at least there's a recap in place now! Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

4.24.21: dance recital '21

4.24.20: parmesan fondue

4.24.19: double chocolate oatmeal bars

4.24.18: how to use an aqua painter

4.24.17: curvy keepsake lamb and bunny

4.24.16: slow cooker mongolian beef

Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Janis made these a loooonggggg time ago and we loved them - unfortunately it's been so long I don't remember what she filled them with and I bet she doesn't even remember at this point. They are mini sweet peppers, halved, filled with veggie dip (that much I do know haha!), served cold. 

I liked them enough to take the picture, just wish my memory was better or that I would have blogged them before now so I could be more helpful with the exact details!

Just take this idea and fill them with whatever dip you want, it's a winner appetizer.

4.23.21: gift card/cash envelope

4.23.20: beer bread

4.23.19: tipsy tuesday: makeup wipes
4.23.18: hedgehug card
4.23.17: spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms
4.23.16: perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs

Toaster Bag Review by Jenny

It actually worked!!! I can’t believe it!! 

You know how Facebook will bring up weird "articles" that actually turn out to be ads? Well that’s what this one was. A bunch of useful things for under $10. And in that group of useful things were these toaster bags. As the parent of a whole bunch of kids I really wish I had these 25 years ago. The endless grilled cheese making is tedious. The description of these bags said you simply butter the bread and put the cheese in between, slip it in this bag and put it in the toaster. I really did not have high hopes that this would work but today I decided to give it a try. Wow. It actually produced a pretty decent grilled cheese. No, it’s not as pretty as it could be however the outside was grilled and the inside cheese was melted. Really all I could ask for. The only thing missing was a mom to cut off the crust for me. 😂 oh wait, that was my kids who needed the crusts off, and that mom was me. 😂 

No I don’t get product kick back but I got these on amazon for less than 10 bucks for 4 of them. No idea how they will hold up but I’m a fan!

Jill here - she gave me one of these sleeves, I don't have a toaster but I'm going to try it in the toaster oven and see if it works as good, I'll letcha know later! I asked what you do after using thee sleeve, cuz it seems like it'd be a cheesy mess but she says you just rinse it out. 

4.22.22: hasselback caprese tomatoes

4.22.20: garden sign by Mickey

4.22.19: make a dreamcatcher

4.22.18: LeDonna's polenta with meatballs

4.22.17: make a cork wall

4.22.16: garden statue facelift

MSIH: Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Today's 'my sis is hungry' review is for chicken broccoli casserole, here's what she has to say in her own words - recipe and my notes to follow:

So my sister was on a roll last week when Dave was gone and I was the lucky recipient of meals.  As she handed me this one she made a comment about me not needing to review it as it was “nothing”.  She said she was sure it would be fine but not exciting enough to review.   I gotta say she was completely wrong.  I LOVED this.  I loved it so much that I had it for dinner twice and then for breakfast a third day. (yes she made a lot..)

I have no idea what was in it but the flavor was great.  it was slightly creamy, cheesy, and like a thick soup.  It was REALLY delish.

As a side note she asked me what I served it over top of and my answer is nothing.  I ate it plain.  Again- like very thick soup.  LOVE.  Can’t wait to see the recipe for this one so I can see if its in my wheelhouse to make- as I definitely would. 

*INGREDIENTS: 4 PERS.

°450 g broccoli in pieces

°2 tbsp. butter

°60 g chopped onion

°2 tbsp. tsp chop green pepper

°2 tbsp. flour

°1 pinch of salt

°1 pinch of pepper

°250ml milk

°450 g cooked chicken, cut into cubes

°120 g grated cheddar cheese

*PREPERATION :

1.

Preheat the oven Th.6 (180°C).

2.

Melting butter in bain-marie.

3.

Add the onion and green pepper, cook over low heat. Add the flour and mix well.

4.

Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add salt and pepper.

5.

Add the chicken and broccoli.

6.

Pour everything into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

7.

Bake 30 mins.

Jill here - she's right, I did think this seemed like a not-exciting dinner, it does taste good I just thought it was a little boring - it's pretty much chopped chicken and broccoli in a milk gravy. But then she raved so I figured what do I know hahahha. The recipe above is how it's written (recipe found here) so I did a little converting (ok, ok, Mr. Google did some converting) and will share that info so you don't have to figure it out; I also skipped whatever a bain-marie is (once again, I googled it - basically it's a double boiler) and just melted the butter in a saucepan on the stove. I used more milk then the recipe calls for, it was very thick with only 1 cup; and I added a little grated parmesan, cuz why not?

• 1 lb. broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb cooked chicken, chopped 
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 T. green pepper, chopped (I don't like green pepper so I substituted orange)
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. flour
• pinch salt and pepper 
• 1 cup milk (plus more to get the right consistency)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350'

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper, cook for a couple minutes until the onion is translucent; stir in the flour and cook for a couple minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and broccoli, stir to combine.

Put the mixture in a greased casserole dish, sprinkle with cheeses. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. 

4.21.21: Teri's fluffy fruit salad

4.21.20: roasted eggplant parmesan

4.21.19: 🔥
4.21.18: boozy cherries
4.21.17: crayon canvas by Brooke
4.21.16: parrot portrait

Pork Tenderloin Glaze

I took a photo of a page in a book I was reading but didn't note which book (like I can remember which one of the hundred books I get an idea from?!). All I know is preceding this recipe it says "a gregarious woman with red hair from the south named Jennie Lee" gave the author this amazing recipe for glazed pork tenderloin, and people "think it's a complicated glaze and get very impressed". 

Hmmm...ok, random recipe in random book that wasn't a cookbook, I'll try you...

The recipe in the books is to "marinate pork tenderloin overnight in equal parts orange juice and soy sauce with a few smashed garlic cloves, some brown sugar and a teaspoon of ginger. Then you put in the broiler for 12 minutes on each side, and smear apricot preserves all over it while it's cooling." 

The result? It's great!  The 'directions' don't give amounts of the ingredients so I winged it but will share what I did. I thought I might skip smearing apricot preserves all over it but I went with the recipe and am so glad I did - the flavor is delicious. 

marinade: 

• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• garlic powder to taste (I did 1/2 t.)
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• salt and pepper to taste (I just sprinkled some in the marinade without measuring)

• boneless pork tenderloin
• apricot preserves (about 1/3 cup)

Put all marinade ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag and shake to combine. Add the pork tenderloin and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Remove from the marinade and grill until cooked to your preference. After it's cooked, transfer to a cutting board or platter and spread apricot preserves all over it (as the jam warms up it dissolves into a glaze). Slice and serve. 

4.20.21: TT hummingbird food

4.20.20: Claudette's paint by number

4.20.19: kid craft: pompom bugs

4.20.18: silverware holder (from a beverage carrier carton)

4.20.17: scrabble tile messages

4.20.16: giant donut cake

Tip-sy Tuesday: drink coaster hack

Today's Tip-sy Tuesday tip comes from Al and Cathy - Home Depot has free samples of flooring squares and they make great coasters. They're water resistant and rubber backed, and come in tons of different colors. I felt a little guilty when I got some the other day, it seems a little like stealing since I don't plan to put down new flooring; HD didn't even blink when I asked if I could have 4 of them, didn't care at all. Good tip (is it a tip? is it a hack? haha - whichever, it's a good idea). 

Oh, if for some reason you try these flooring sample coasters and they don't do the job, don't come back complaining to me LOL. I haven't used them enough yet to know but so far so good! 

4.19.21: how to make a ribbon flower

4.19.20: 🔥week 16

4.19.19: sports team paddle

4.19.18: book challenge

4.19.17: caramel apple pie with crumb topping

4.19.16: car trash cup

Turkey Taco Filling (and more)

This is a simple recipe and I wasn't really planning to blog it but it turned out to be a very versatile meal so I figured I share. 

I intended to eat this taco filling in lettuce wraps for a healthy lunch - which I did and it was great - but then I thought it'd be good on top of a salad (sort of another take on my taco-salad hack) - which I did and it was great. And then I had another thought (full of thoughts, right?!) that if I added some water it might make a good soup - which I did and it was great. Taco filling, salad topping, chili-like soup - however you want to eat it, it's delish. 

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 small container pico de gallo (I found this in the produce section - it's a mix of fresh onions, tomatoes, black beans, and corn)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• salt and pepper

Brown the turkey. Add the pico de gallo and cook a few minutes until the onions are cooked down a bit. Stir in the taco seasoning and chicken broth, cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook until it's warmed thru. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

I forgot to take a photo of it on the salad - so just picture that it looks just like this with lettuce underneath

for the soup I just added some water, topped with a little cheese and sour cream  

4.18.21: 🔥 week 16

4.18.20: ham and spinach wagon wheel

4.18.19: 'healthier' potato soup

4.18.18: texas chocolate cream pie

4.18.17: Lisa's nieces make k-cup bunnies

4.18.16: hair tie