Chicken and Dumplings

So I wish I could say this was my recipe, but it actually belongs to Tim McGraw. It is really good! And if you click on the link below you can watch Tim McGraw and Faith Hill cook these together!

Tim McGraw’s Chicken and Dumplings

* 1 small chicken
* Water
* Pinch of salt
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons butter shortening
* 1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Boil chicken in a pot, adding salt to taste. When tender, pull chicken from the bone and return to the pot, adding broth.

From 2010-02-13

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A birthday GIRL!!

Krystina is 3! Can you believe it! She is such a sweet little girl!

From 2010-02-04

And we had Rainbow Cake.

From 2010-02-04

And it was so yummy! I forgot to buy candles, so we only had 1!

From 2010-02-04

We love you Krystina! We are so thankful that we have you back in our life! We have been through valleys and mountaintops with you, and we would not trade it for anything.

From 2010-02-04

You have captured our hearts and will forever hold a special place there! I hope you know how much we love you. How much Jesus loves you. That is the greatest thing in life, to know Him.

From 2010-02-04

You don’t need a spoon, just dive right in! It is YOUR birthday!

From 2010-02-04

These girls are double trouble! And the best of friends!

From 2010-02-04

I hope all your wishes come true!

From 2010-02-04

I know the friendship that has formed will be forever! We love you forever! Through thick and thin. We will always be here to support you. To hold you. Love on you. We cherish you!

From 2010-02-04

Yummy Recipe

I made this tonight, and it was SO good. I wish I had a picture to show you, but we gobbled it all up before I could take one! I found it on Rachael Ray’s website! Enjoy!

* 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
* 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and pepper
* Two 6-inch hoagie rolls, split
* 1 clove garlic, halved
* One 1-pound package frozen cheese tortellini
* 1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
* 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 500°. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil on top and season with salt and pepper; roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and any juices to a large bowl.

2.

Meanwhile, during the last 5 minutes of roasting, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil onto the cut sides of the hoagie rolls, season with salt and toast in the oven. Rub each toast with the garlic clove.

3.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions, adding the green beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain. Add to the tomatoes along with the mozzarella, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; toss and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the garlic toasts.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I got up early this morning and made the kids Pumpkin Spice Muffins. Which they love. They love anything pumpkin! This is very good with a little butter on top of each one!

Mix all these ingredients together:
1 Cup of Pumpkin
1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil
2 eggs
1 Teaspoon of Pumpkin Spice
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1 and 1/4 Cup of Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 and 1/2 Cup Flour ( I pour the flour in slowly, so it does not clump)

Once mixed well, place any size amount that you want into muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. This is so easy, and everyone in our house loves these! Enjoy!

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Chili for a Rainy Day~

Chili Recipe

Brown 1 pound of hamburger, with 1 chopped onion.

**Drain fat once cooked**

Add 4 teaspoons of Chili Powder
Add 1 teaspoon of Salt
Add dash of Pepper
Add 1 Large can of diced tomatoes, I add the whole can…juice and all!
Add 1 Cup of Ketchup
Add 2 Cups of water
Add 2 Cans of Red Kidney Beans, drain the juice
Add 1 Can of Niblet Corn, drain the juice

If you feel it is too thick (I don’t think it is), but if you do, just add more water.

Mix all this well with the meat and let simmer on low for 1/2 to 1 hour.

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You can serve this with corn bread, over a baked potato, or just plain, or you can add some shredded cheese to the top or some sour cream. As you can see, you can do lots with it. Just as long as your family enjoys it!

This is such a perfect recipe for a cold or rainy day. I wish I could take credit for it, but it actually belongs to my sweet Mother-in-Law. And it is the best chili recipe I have ever tasted!

Orzo with Vegtables

So I tired another new recipe tonight. My kids GOBBLED it all up! Definitely a win in our house, and we will be using it again for future dinners.

Boil one box of Orzo for 8 minutes…once done: drain and set aside.

While your pasta is boiling:
*Dice one clove of garlic, one shallot.
*Saute those in Olive Oil for just a minute, do not burn garlic or it will turn bitter.

Then ADD:
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 package of sweet peas, cooked
1 and 1/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

Mix all these well cooking for about 5 minutes.
Then add all the cooked Orzo
Mix well.

Then Add:
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan shredded
Mix this well in your pasta

Season with Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste & you can sprinkle each plate with some more Parmesan if your kids like that.

Let sit for about 5 minutes, then serve.

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And I can pretty much guarantee you that your kids will give you smiles like this!!

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Peach Cobbler

I love Paula Deen’s recipes…and I came across this one today and had to try it! And it is SOOOO good. I highly recommend it. And if you try it out, I would love to hear how yours turns out!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
8 tablespoon (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup water
2 cup sugar, divided
4 cup peeled, sliced peaches
1 1/2 cup milk
ground cinnamon, optional

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Before you get started do this:

Cut an “X” at the bottom of each peach. I used 9 peaches. Place in boiling water for 1 minute. Take out then place in cold water. (I put ice in my water to make it really cold) This stops the cooking process. Then peal the skin off the peach. Boiling your peach for 1 minute makes this SO easy. Then cut your peaches up and place in sauce pan.
NOTE: I am sure you can use frozen peaches and totally skip this part, but I always think fresh fruit it the best and the flavor always turns out better!

Now that your peaches are ready, we are ready to begin!

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

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Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

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Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping.

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Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir.

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Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using.

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Batter will rise to top during baking.

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We used Vanilla ice cream with ours! Absolutely delish!!! And a nice cup of coffee!

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Summer Bean and Corn Salad

So I found this recipe on MckMamma’s Site as well. I thought I would give it a try…SO YUMMY! You have to try this. It is so good. And the hubby gave it 2 thumbs up!

Summer Corn & Bean Salad

First, gather the following ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of corn, drained
2 cans Ro Tel with cilantro and lime
one leek, sliced
2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
dashes of chili powder, cumin and garlic powder
1/2 of a fresh lime
fresh cilantro
salt

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Open all of the cans, and mix the corn and beans.

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Then add the cans of Rotel

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Add the Spices

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Squeeze the juice of half of a lime into the beans.

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Add the leek and cilantro

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Mix well with 2 Tablespoons of dressing and some salt.

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Marinate overnight. Then, drain most of the juice. Add a little more fresh cilantro, and serve cold.

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This IS SO GOOD! Such an awesome summer salad! We will definitely be eating this again!

Homemade Yogurt

I wish I could say that I made this recipe up, but I didn’t. I actually got it off of MckMamma’s sites. I love a lot of her recipes actually. Anyways, It is yummy. I highly recommend it.

1 tub plain, organic whole yogurt

1 banana

1/4 c honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup (frozen or fresh) blueberries

1 1/2 cups (frozen or fresh) strawberries

Apple Pie

So I made this apple pie today. It was to die for. Seriously it was. I said the same thing to Tony and he was like “okay, we will see, your mom’s pie is pretty good!!” He took a bite and was like “WOW!!!! Did you write the recipe down honey??” Well, No I did not…I just made it up as I went along. So anyways, I am going to try and remember everything I did later on tonight.

As of right now, we are installing new carpet on our stairs! Yah, cause we are crazy like that!

Why pay someone 800 bucks to do it, when I can pay my husband with apple pies and kisses. We both win and it is so much cheaper!!!!