Friday, March 13, 2026

Friday 3/13

 Image

makes me laugh - happy Friday!

3.13.24: broccoli rice cheese bake by P

3.13.23: carrot candy

3.13.22: 🔥 week 11 



In case you need a good recipe, I've had great success with this one!

CROCK POT CORNED BEEF

4 lb. corned beef with seasoning
1 cup water
1 cup guinness (enough liquid to fill 1/2 way up or so)
2 bay leaves
1 t. extra cloves

cook on low x10 hours.

add carrots last 4-5 hours
add cabbage last 3 hours (if you're adding to the crock pot)


Thursday, March 12, 2026

Creamy White Chili (Throwback Thursday)

I've been going thru old recipes (I still have an old box that I used to use before I changed to a binder system, it hangs out in the top of my cookbook cupboard and I have to get a tall stool out in order to access that high shelf haha, I decided to go thru some of these old ones and share with you even if I don't have a picture!).  

    • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 1 1/2 t. garlic powder
    • 1 T. vegetable oil
    • 2 (15 oz) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
    • 2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilies
    • 1 t. salt
    • 1 t. ground cumin
    • 1 t. dried oregano
    • 1/2 t. pepper
    • 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
    • 1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
    • 1/2 cup whipping cream
    In a large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. 

    makes 7 servings


    I don't know how old this recipe is or where it was published, but judging from the heart and tea kettle graphics across the top it looks 80's to me haha. 



    3.12.23: 🔥 week 10

    3.12.21: kid craft: paper leprechaun by Brooke

    3.12.20:  TBT: St. Patrick's day luncheon and Green Pea Soup recipe

    3.12.19: TT: single cupcake container

    3.12.18: make a layered paper shamrock 

    3.12.17: blueberry chutney (delish with pork tenderloin!)

    3.12.16: copycat shamrock shake

    Wednesday, March 11, 2026

    Sissy Tried It: Cottage Cheese "Chips"

    Jenny sent me this idea she saw on Facebook, here's what she has to say in her words:


    Sissy Tried It.. Again.
     

    So first off, I would like to say that I am not sure why I continue to try recipes that I see on Facebook. Perhaps social media is not the best source for quality recipes? This one I kept seeing over and over, or some variation of it and it seemed too good to be true. As usual, you know what they say if something seems too good to be true…..

    I gave it a try. This first picture below is where I actually saw the recipe. The other less perfect photos are of course, all mine.
    First of all the cottage cheese did not stay in a circle like it did in their pictures. It spread out and all mushed together. It looked slighty like a giant friend egg. It did get slightly crispy on the bottom though, and I could peel it off. I say “peel" because it did not come off in a round-chip form as their example did. Again, it was more like peeling up a well done egg white. 😂 

    The taste itself I have to say tho wasn’t terrible.  Is “wasn’t terrible” a booming endorsement? No. Was it edible if forced? Yes. 

    Some thoughts. Maybe not low-fat cottage cheese? Perhaps I’ll try it again. If anyone else tries it and has better results, let me know because I want to love this! 







    Jill here - these actually sound good to me if we can figure out how to get them crispy and not fried egg looking and trying to peel them off the pan. Also the inspo photo looks like it has way more shredded cheese on top, I wonder if the melted cheese is holding the cottage cheese together and making it crispier. I don't know but if I try this I will update with my findings! Thanks sis - keep up the good work trying random social media recipes haha! 


    Tuesday, March 10, 2026

    Tip-sy Tuesday: Common Clutter Culprit

    I got an email from BHG titled "the one item professional organizers wish people would stop saving".

    Of course I opened that one to see what item they were referring to ('cuz I could make lots of guesses like plastic grocery bags, old keys no one knows what they go to, old paperwork, pens - LOL so much stuff!), and the answer is just as boring as old keys and pens...they'd like us to let go of old cords and chargers. Very true that we have drawers full of them, and chances are we'll never need them again - but saving them for 'just in case' is hard to get past!

    So what do you think - do we purge and free up some clutter? I don't know, I'm kinda scared hahahah. 

    Read the entire article here at BHG or go to their website and search for it under the title I printed in the first line above. 

    3.10.25: march 10th

    3.10.24: 🔥 week 10

    3.10.23: crockpot spinach white bean soup

    3.10.22: MSIH peanut butter dream bars

    3.10.21: crock pot corned beef - check this out if you need a good recipe for corned beef, I make it every year!! 

    Monday, March 9, 2026

    March 21st World Down Syndrome Day Treat Project


    At dance class the other night I overheard H ask N if she would please get out her Cricut and do a project for her. N said something like no way, I haven't used that Cricut in years and I don't want to do it hahahah. I had no idea what the project was but when I heard 'Cricut' I of course kinda yelled "wait, I have a Cricut! What do you need?" 

    What was I thinking volunteering to do a project that I had no idea how big or small it was? I wasn't drunk and it wasn't even that late at night so I have no excuse LOL!!!! Good grief me. 

    She showed me her inspiration photo and asked if I could Cricut the words and fish onto cards that she'll attach to small bags of rainbow Goldfish - not sure if this is for school or what and it didn't matter, of course I can Cricut her 30 4x5" cards and I'm happy to help. 


    And then I woke up the next morning thinking oh no, Cricuting cards means formatting the words and the fish shapes, cutting them out with the Cricut machine, transferring each thing over to a card and stick all the pieces in place - 30 times! Um...that's a lot of work 🤦‍♀️ hahaha I still would have done it but then did a little research to see if I could maybe find the exact original project and if I was really lucky I'd be able to just use that to make the cards for her. 

    I found the document here on wordpress (threewithatwist.wordpress.com); the creator was nice enough to make the project downloadable and I was even able to make changes to it - like moving the words and fish around, adding the year - and then print it. All I'd have to do at that point would be to cut the pages into 4 square cards each. 


    I asked H if she actually wanted them made with the Cricut versus my just printing off this sheet that's already been formatted? She said she isn't crafty and to do whatever is easiest. Printing it is!! 


    3.9.25: 🔥 week 10

    3.9.24: words




    Sunday, March 8, 2026

    🔥 Around the Campfire (week 10)


    Dear Campers ~ 

    Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

    Posts ~

    3/1: 🔥 week 9

    3/2: organizing iPhone notes 

    3/3: TT famous sauces you can make from scratch 

    3/4: Easter veggie tray by Jenny

    3/5: 5-cup fruit salad (throwback Thursday)

    3/6: MFIH country ribs in cranberry sauce 

    3/7: words (spring will come)

    What's Cooking ~

    • pot roast with carrots and potatoes, chopped salad 
    • baked bone-in chicken (brush with olive oil, season with poultry blend, cover and bake at 400' until cooked thru. Remove cover and broil for a couple minutes to brown the tops), rice blend, veg
    • country ribs in cranberry sauce, see above
    • chicken street tacos from Costco, side salad with tomatoes and avocado
    • roasted shrimp, buttered pasta, roasted broccoli 

    That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

    Sincerely ~

    Jill
    camp counselor

    3.8.22: TT freezing asparagus

    Friday, March 6, 2026

    MFIH: Crockpot Country Ribs with Cranberry Sauce

    I posted this recipe in '21 using a pork roast, this time I made it with boneless country ribs for a "My Family Is Hungry" meal. I know that dried onion soup mix is not gluten-free so a couple family members cannot eat it, I left it out of the dish and not sure how much it changed the overall flavor but it's still really good. I could have made my own dried mix (click here for a recipe) but I was in a hurry to get this into the crockpot.

    pork roast with sauce

    There was a lot of fat from the ribs after cooking it; I refrigerated it overnight and scrapped off as much of the fat as I could. Here's a review from Macey, she's right that it did not look great before re-heating it!

    "I'm not going to lie when I first opened the tub and looked at tonight's meal it looked a little questionable haha. (The color is slightly off-putting!). However, once it was heated up and served over rice, it was thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed this meal from its sweet cranberry flavor paired with the savory from the meat made for a really delicious dinner. The texture was great! It was like a thick sauce with chunks of tender pork! I would definitely have this one again."

    country ribs with sauce 

    • 2.5 lb. frozen pork roast (I buy a 4 pack at Costco - you can adjust the size to suit your needs)
    • 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
    • 3/4 cup Russian dressing
    • 1/4 cup orange juice or water
    • 1 packet dried onion soup mix
    Place the roast in a 5 quart crock pot (or whatever size fits your roast); top with remaining ingredients (you can stir them together before adding to the crockpot but I'd save the extra dish to wash, they'll mix together as it cooks). Cook on LOW for 8 hours. 

    Great with mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, rice, or on it's own. 

    notes: you can also do this with pork tenderloin; pork chops are also great but won't need to cook as long. If you don't have Russian dressing, apricot preserves also works and is equally delish. The sauce is so good I eat it with a spoon but it isn''t thick - if you want it thicker/more gravy like just make a slurry* of cornstarch and water and whisk into the sauce until it thickens. 


    Thursday, March 5, 2026

    Five-Cup Fruit Salad (Throwback Thursday)

    I've been going thru old recipes (I still have an old box that I used to use before I changed to a binder system, it hangs out in the top of my cookbook cupboard and I have to get a tall stool out in order to access that high shelf haha, I decided to go thru some of these old ones and share with you even if I don't have a picture!).  

    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 cup pineapple chunks (drained)
    • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
    • 1 cup shredded coconut
    • 1 cup mandarin orange slices (drained)
    Combine all ingredients thoroughly and allow to stand in refrigerator for several hours (overnight is better) before serving. 


    Wednesday, March 4, 2026

    Easter Vegetable Tray by Jenny

    Hey there! Jill’s non crafting, non cooking sister here! I can’t believe my social media is already popping up with Easter stuff (We haven’t gotten past the green beer season yet! 🍀).  But when this one came up I thought it was too cute (and easy) not to share with my sister! Love this so much! 

    Tuesday, March 3, 2026

    Tip-sy Tuesday: Sauces you can Make From Scratch

     


    My sis sent me this little sauce-making cheat-sheet, thought I'd share! I'm a dipper, so having this means I can make allllll the sauces now hahahah. 

    YUM YUM SAUCE

    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • 4 T. water
    • 2 1/2 T. ketchup
    • 2 T. granulated sugar
    • 1 1/2 T. rice vinegar
    • 1 1/2 T. butter
    • 2 t. onion powder
    • 1 t. sweet Hungarian paprika
    CHICK-FIL-A SAUCE
    • 2 t. yellow mustard
    • 2 T. barbecue sauce
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 T. honey
    • 1/8 t. garlic powder
    OLIVE GARDEN ALFREDO SAUCE
    • 6 T. butter
    • 1 T. garlic
    • 1 t. garlic. flour
    • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
    • 1 cup parmesan cheese
    • 1 1/3 cups whipping cream
    • 1/2 t. salt
    • 16 oz. fettuccine
    • fresh parsley
    CHICKEN FINGER DIPPING SAUCE
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 1/4 cup ketchup
    • 1/2 t. garlic salt
    • 1 t. black pepper
    • 1 t. hot sauce (Cholula)
    • 1/2 t. worcestershire sauce
    HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE
    • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
    • 3 T. yellow mustard
    • 3 T. honey
    • 2 t. apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 t. paprika
    • 1/4 t. garlic powder
    • 1/4 t. salt
    SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
    • 6 oz. pineapple juice
    • 1/2 cup ketchup
    • 1 t. soy sauce
    • 1/3 cup brown sugar
    • 1 T. cornstarch
    • 1 T. water
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    • red food coloring



    3.3.24: 🔥 week 9

    3.3.23: starch madness: yogurt bagels


    3.3.21: red and green enchiladas

    3.3.20: TT: copycat Old Bay seasoning 

    3.3.19: 🔥week 9

    3.3.18: host an Oscar party

    3.3.17: Brooke decorates her phone charger

    3.3.16: photo class - self portraits

    Monday, March 2, 2026

    Organizing iPhone Notes

    I don't have anything to show you today but I am working on organizing my 200+ notes that I have in the Note app on my phone. I have miscellaneous notes starting in 2013 until now and when I want to find something I have to scroll thru the entire list until I come across it. Which is a pain but not something I thought about organizing until now. I found a helpful video on YouTube (click here to watch it or search for 'how to organize Apple notes' by MinorCo). The idea is to create folders and subfolders to store the notes in categories, and also to tag each note so you can quickly find the note you're looking for. 

    Example: I have a folder labeled MMDC, subfolder named 'guest posts' with a tag named #buffy. To find the posts that Buffy has made I can look in the 'guest post' folder or I can just click on the tag down below and it will take me to any post that I've added the #buffy tag. 


    I've only done 11 notes so far with another 197 to go, but I'm liking how this is going and the app is going to function so much better for me. 

    3.2.25: 🔥week 9

    3.2.24: words 

    3.2.23: starch madness: french bread pizza



    Sunday, March 1, 2026

    🔥 Around the Campfire (week 9)


    Dear Campers ~ 

    Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

    Posts ~

    2/22: 🔥 week 9

    2/23: melting bottle wax

    2/24: TT cleaning suede 

    2/25: Hawaiin roll hot dog bun 

    2/26: rueben casserole 

    2/27: MFIH: cheesy broccoli chicken and rice casserole 

    2/28: words (sunshine on my shoulders)

    What's Cooking ~

    • baked individual pizzas (we did thin crust with ham and mushrooms), caesar salad 
    • crockpot pot roast with baby potatoes and carrots 
    • shake and bake pounded chicken breasts, chickpea pasta with marinara and mozzarella balls
    • roasted salmon, quinoa with olive oil and parmesan, roasted green beans
    • grilled steak, roasted baby potatoes or tater tots (we had a house divided for Sunday supper haha)

    That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)


    Sincerely ~

    Jill
    camp counselor

    3.1.25: words (sneak out)

    3.1.24: pot pie by P

    3.1.23: starch madness: starchy foods

    3.1.16: organize the spice drawer  


    Saturday, February 28, 2026

    Friday, February 27, 2026

    My Family Is Hungry: Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

    "Tonight's dinner was a slight spin on a classic meal that we used to have all the time as kids! Cheesy chicken and rice with broccoli used to be a staple in our house growing up in the 90's. Tonight's casserole was very similar, although a little runnier than what I remember from when I was little, but still delicious nonetheless. I liked the carrots and the crisps that went on top of the meal! Both added great texture. This is a great comfort meal for those cold winter days, although it was finally in the 50s here today! 😊" 


    For this week's family feast I made Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole that I saw online at Mel's Kitchen Cafe - easy and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly other than I substituted gluten free all-purpose flour in the sauce so everyone could eat it, and for the gluten free house I used GF ritz like crackers (non gluten-free houses got regular ritz topping). Dave and I both really like this one, the above quote is Macey's review - I didn't get a review from Georgia the 2 year old hahah.  But it's a winner! 

    I'm just copy/pasting the recipe as written since I didn't change a thing. Recipe found here, she has more info and pictures if you want to see them.

    CHEESY BROCCOLI CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE

    INGREDIENTS

    • 6 tablespoons butter
    • 1 cup diced carrots
    • ½ cup diced onion
    • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    •  cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • Pinch of dried thyme
    • Pinch of black pepper
    • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
    • 3 cups broccoli florets, chopped small
    • 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
    • 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (see note)
    • 1 ½ cups coarsely crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 sleeve, 32 crackers)
    • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

    INSTRUCTIONS 

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.
    • In a 12-inch deep skillet (if you don't have a deep skillet, use a 4- or 5-quart pot or saucepan), melt the butter over medium heat and add the carrots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies soften a bit, 4 to 5 minutes.
    • Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the broth until smooth, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until thickened.
    • Add cream cheese, salt, thyme and pepper. Continue cooking, whisking until mostly smooth (it's ok for there to be a few small lumps of cream cheese - you won't even notice them at the end).
    • Off the heat, add the cheddar cheese and stir until combined. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed (this is important for flavor)! Set aside.
    • Combine broccoli florets and 1/2 cup water in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes until broccoli is tender. (Alternately, you can steam the broccoli on the stovetop.) Drain excess water.
    • To the cheese sauce, add the steamed broccoli, chicken and rice. Mix until evenly combined. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.
    • In a small bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs and melted butter. Spread this mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
    • Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbling and the cracker topping is lightly golden (if it browns too quickly on top, lightly cover with foil and continue baking until the casserole is hot throughout). Serve immediately.
    Rice: the rice should be lightly packed into a cup - don't cram it in there or the casserole will be dry. If you're the weighing type, you'll want about about 12 ounces of cooked rice, give or take a bit.

    Thursday, February 26, 2026

    Rueben Casserole (Throwback Thursday)

    I've been going thru old recipes (I still have an old box that I used to use before I changed to a binder system, it hangs out in the top of my cookbook cupboard and I have to get a tall stool out in order to access that high shelf haha, I decided to go thru some of these old ones and share with you even if I don't have a picture!). 

    I don't remember my mom making this but it's her handwriting so it's either something she made and I didn't eat because until I was about 30 I despised sauerkraut!! I love it now for some reason - and I think this casserole using a base of rueben sandwich ingredients topped with a bisquick mixture might be delish.  I'll add it to recipes I want to make in the future and let you know how it goes once I do!

    Note: the recipe calls for a can of corned beef, I assume that's like the kind you'd use for corned beef hash right? When I first saw the recipe I thought of sliced deli corned beef like you'd use for a rueben sandwich...what do you think, should we try it with canned? I'm pretty sure it's really high in sodium and I'm thinking I'll go with either deli meat slices, or I'll use the leftover corned beef  that I make for St. Patrick's Day. 

    Here's the recipe as written, do what you want about what kind of corned beef you use:


    Layer in an 8x8" baking dish:

    • 1 can corned beef
    • 1 (6 - 8 oz.) package swiss cheese
    • 1 (14.5 - 16oz) can sauerkraut
    Mix together and spread over the above:

    1 cup Bisquick baking mix 
    1/3 cup mayonnaise 
    1/2 cup milk
    2 eggs

    Bake at 400' for 30 minutes. 




    2.26.23: 🔥 week 9

    2.26.22: oops I missed a day!