An Oreo Delight

Wow! It's going to be a gorgeous day today with lots of sun and warm temperatures. I've got a few chores to get done and then I hope to have some time to sew a bit and then outside to enjoy the day.

Update on Garden:
Yesterday morning was the last morning that they were calling for frost so I went ahead and took the newspapers off last night. I saw a few spots of black on a couple leaves but that was it so I think all of my plants will be alright. I still have tomatoes, peppers and zucchini to plant but I'm waiting till about the mid of May to do so.  Don't want to risk it until warmer weather arrives for good.
Well I'll share the Oreo dessert with you all and then I'm off to enjoy the day.

Oreo Delight

1 large pkg. Oreos, crushed

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 container Cool Whip, thawed

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

3 cups milk

Crush Oreo's and reserve enough to sprinkle over the top of the dessert when finished. (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and 1 cup Cool Whip.

Add crushed Oreos to that mixture and mix.

Pat crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

In another bowl, mix both puddings together with the milk.

Pour pudding over crumb layer.

Top with remaining Cool Whip.

Garnish with Oreo crumbs.

Refrigerate.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Pepperoni Burgers on the Grill

So sorry for the awful picture but they gobbled them all up before I got a chance to get a good picture. I had to quickly cut into this one to get a picture before my brother scarfed it up.

Well I told you all that I was in picnic mode this week so here is another recipe for your grilling-out recipe box. Nothing fancy about a hamburger but the toppings that you choose can really make a world of difference.
I grilled these hamburgers then placed them on the top rack of the grill so that they didn't burn. I then topped each burger with pepperoni that I had diced up earlier in the day. Next I added a slice of mozzerella cheese. Shut the grill lid for a minute and allow the cheese to melt. 
We had these with just the usual fixins' but you could heat a bit of pizza sauce up and spread on top as you place it on a bun ~ Grilled Pizza Burger.
Simple ~ Easy ~ Tasty
Do you have a favorite topping or way to make an ordinary hamburger taste over the top. If so, do you care to share?

Ready for the Frost

*4UM8QAD592BF*

They are calling for frost tonight as the temperatures are supposed to dip down to 32°. I have potatoes and green beans that have sprouted through the soil already so I figured I'd better not take a chance. At first I thought that I would just go out early in the morning and spray my plants off before the sun came up.
Doesn't that sound fun?
A cold morning tromping through the wet grass with a garden hose in hand.
It sure doesn't to me! So after talking to my Dad tonight I decided to just cover them. I recruited Logan to help me a bit.
He placed the newspaper over each plant creating a little tent as I put a shovel full of dirt around the edges. I sure hope I got enough dirt on them so that all that newspaper doesn't get blown off in the wind.
We shall see!
I've never had to cover or mess with plants before due to frost warnings so I'll just have to wait and see if this newspaper method works.
Just as we finished in the garden tonight we looked up to see this full moon rising above the hillside. Pretty isn't it?

It's been another one of those days. My husband called again from work this morning. Remember a while back I said that an early morning phone call from him was never good. Well it happened again. He called to tell me that a dumptruck in front of him had just kicked up a rock and it busted his windshield. It put a big crater in it. It didn't go clear through the windshield but almost. It sent little slivers of glass flying to the back of the Explorer. I couldn't believe it when I looked in the back seat and saw the pieces of glass laying here and there.  
If it's not one thing (problem) then it's another.
As my husband said today, "If it weren't for bad luck then we would have no luck at all."
Even though I would have like to have cried I had to laugh when he said it.
So we'll be off to get a new windshield on Thursday.
Well I've had enough for today so I'm off to bed.
Night Night!

Cheeseburger Soup

I was going to post picnic foods this week but here in the north east we are getting more cool weather again so I thought I would share this soup that I made yesterday. Maybe it will warm you up a bit.
The original recipe came from a Taste of Home magazine quite a  few years ago and it quickly became a family favorite. To thicken the soup you made a rue from butter and milk but that takes more time and it dirties another pan! :-)
So since I'm all about quick & easy I decided to change the recipe a bit and leave that step out. I also use Kroger's brand Nice n Cheesy Queso Blanco with Jalapenos instead of Velveeta but you can use whatever you want to.

Cheeseburger Soup

2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, diced

4-6 carrots, shredded

64 oz. chicken broth

1 tbsp. parsley

1 1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. celery salt

10 medium potatoes, cubed

4 cups water

1/4 - 1/2 of a big block of Velveeta, cubed 

12 oz. evaporated milk

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Brown beef, onion & carrots, drain.

Add broth, celery salt, basil & parsley.

Add potatoes & water.

Place lid on and tilt it a bit.

Let simmer till potatoes are done.

Add cheese & milk and stir until melted.

Enjoy!

**This is a large recipe that feeds my family of 5 plus a few more so you may want to cut this recipe in half.**

Picnic Food ~ Potato Salad

Well another weekend has come and gone and it's back to the ol' grind again.
I cooked  a bit over the weekend but nothing too hard or fancy. Just some good old summertime picnic food.
Some I'll be sharing with you this week.
It's a gloomy, rainy day here in WV. It will be a nice day for catching up on indoor activities as well as making a big pot of soup for supper ~ Cheeseburger soup I believe.
*Did you hear that Mom?*  --  I'll be sure to save you some.

No big happenings over the weekend.
Just a little shopping, cooking and relaxing.
We did manage to get a bike ride in yesterday which was nice. The weather was perfect!
Oh, and my MIL's dog has come again to stay with us for a few months. When my MIL passed away last year she asked my BIL to take care of the dog. However, we kind of have a joint custody thing going on. They keep her but every so often they bring her up to stay with us for a few months. She seems happy in both places so it just works.
That's about all that is new or exciting (woo-hoo) here in my world. I'll leave you with the recipe for my potato salad and hope you have a cheerful MONDAY!

Potato Salad

8 lbs. potatoes, diced & boiled

4-5 hard boiled eggs

1/4 -1/2 cup finely diced onions

2 cups Miracle Whip

1 cup pickle relish

1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. celery seed

2-3 tbsp. sugar

milk

In a small bowl, mix Miracle Whip, onion, relish, mustard & celery seed.

Gradually add sugar 1 tbsp. at a time, tasting between each addition. Use as much or as little as you prefer.

One you have all sauce ingredients combined then you can begin to thin it down a little. I pour a little milk in and then whisk it all together. Keep adding a little milk each time until you have the right consistency.

Pour sauce over diced potato and eggs and mix well.

You can add salt and pepper to taste too!

Refrigerate & enjoy!

Ho Ho Cake

I am starving and writing this post about food sure isn't helping matters. I guess I'll take care of that issue just as soon as I finish here.
It's been a pretty boring week here. Nothing going on except the usual....cooking, cleaning, schooling and well you get the picture.
Same stuff.....different day! :-)

The kids are almost finished with their schoolwork for the day so we are heading out to work in the garden. They are calling for rain over the weekend (which we need) so I would like to get the corn in the ground before we have a muddy mess to tromp through. That is .... if I can get the roto tiller started on my own.
My potatoes and green beans are up and growing now and I'm anxious to get everything else in the ground too!
Well enough of the boring stuff.
How about some good food?
This recipe traditionally calls for eggs in the glaze but I don't like using raw eggs so I omitted them.

Ho Ho Cake

1 dark chocolate cake mix

1 cup milk

5 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

Prepare cake as directed on box and bake in a 11 1/2X 15 pan.

While cake is baking, mix flour and milk over low heat until thickened.

Place mixture in refrigerator to get good and cold.

When cake is cooled, beat butter, shortening & sugar.

Add chilled flour paste to this mixture & beat till creamy.

Spread over cake and refrigerate.

Once cake has chilled a bit then you can make the glaze.

Glaze Ingredients:

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 tbsp. butter

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp. water

Combine glaze ingredients in a pan over low heat.

When melted and mixed well remove from heat and pour over top of cake.

If mixture is too thin then you may add more powdered sugar.

Refrigerate & ENJOY!

Crockpot Beef & Stuffing Rolls

Ugh!
It's Monday and back to work and school. The weekends just never last long enough.
No sense in crying over it though..might as well dig in and get the week started. The quicker we begin it the quicker the weekend will be here again.
Here is a good recipe for a lazy Monday. Just get it ready and then let it cook the day away in the crockpot.

               Crock Pot Beef & Stuffing Rolls
                 
        4 lbs. round steak or cube steak
                   1 box stuffing mix
 2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
              1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix stuffing mix with amount of water that is listed on the side of the box and then set aside.
Pound round steak thin and then lay flat.
( or place cube steaks flat)
Place enough stuffing on each steak to cover the top of it.
Roll each steak up and then fasten together with a toothpick.
I like to cut my rolls in half but you don't have to.
*If you do though, you will need to use more toothpicks to hold them together.*
Place rolls in a greased crockpot.
In a bowl, combine the soup and 1 1/2 cups water.
Pour this mixture over the beef and cover with a lid.
Cook on high for 6-7 hours.

Whip up some mashed potatoes and a veggie and you have a quick easy meal.
Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the finished meal. I'll have to remember and get a picture the next time I make it!
Enjoy your Monday!

Strawberry Delight Squares

Hello All!
It's been a few days since I posted. I've been keeping up with all of your blogs but just haven't gotten around to posting on mine. We had company that arrived on Thursday so that kept us all busy. The kids had lots of fun playing and us adults just enjoyed the time to chat.
Yesterday was spent cleaning house and mowing the lawn before the storms moved in. We didn't really get any *big* storms, just lots of wind and some quick downpours.
Today when I ran to the store they were stopping people at the doors to tell them that the EBT system was down and the only way that you could shop was if you had cash. ( storm related ???  Who Knows!)  I had to turn around and go home because all I had with me was my checkbook. This wasn't just at Walmart. It was wide-spread because no one in town was accepting checks, debit cards or credit cards. On top of that many cell phones as well as land line phones are not working in our area.
Things like this just don't happen often but when they do they sure can cause problems. It's also Prom night here in our town so there will be lots of anxious teens getting ready for tonight. I sure hope they have all their last minute needs or at least CASH on hand to be able to purchase those items. (flowers, tuxedo, food and so forth)

After I returned home from the store I headed to the kitchen. I cooked bacon for the Hawaiian pizzas that I'll be making for dinner tonight. I also whipped together a yummy Oreo dessert and some Unleavened Bread. Now I can take a break and play on the computer till supper time which is what I'm doing!
Now are you ready for the dessert that is pictured at the top of my post?
My SIL passed it on to me several years ago but this week was the first time that I've ever made it. The kids all loved it. It kind of reminds me of the Strawberry Pretzel Dessert that I LOVE.

Strawberry Delight Squares

1 1/2 cups  crushed graham crackers

1/2 cup sugar

6 tbsp. butter

12 oz. cream cheese

2 tbsp. milk

1 cup Cool Whip

2 cups boiling water

1 small box strawberry Jell-O

1 1/2 cups cold water

2  (8 1/4 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained

Mix graham crakcers, 1/4 c. of the sugar and butter.

Press into bottom of 13 X 9 pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk.

Gently stir in the Cool Whip.

Spread over crust.
Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, stir boiling water into Jell-O.

When dissolved add cold water and stir.

Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or till slightly thickened.

Stir in oranges and spoon over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Cut and ENJOY!

Fostoria Glass Co. ( I've been tagged! )

West Side of Straight tagged me the other day and I'm just now getting around to posting it. I am supposed to post the tenth photo in my photo album and tell a little bit about it.

So here it is!

It is what is left standing of the old Fostoria Glass Factory.

This old building can be seen from my house. Though it is definitely an eyesore at the moment it will eventually all be torn down and a new shopping plaza built. Or at least that is what the plans were the last time I checked.

Both of my parents worked at Fostoria. My mother worked in the offices up until she had *ME* and my father worked for many years there as an electrician.

I have been  taking pictures of the old building as they have slowly been tearing it down. I love history and this old building as well as the U.S. Stamping Plant that used to sit on our street holds much history for many of the redsidents here. Both of these factories once provided much of the town with employment opportunities.

One of these days I hope to share more stories and photos of these places with all of you.

Now I am to tag 5 other people so I'm going to tag

Fit and Flabless

Goodwife Farm

Life at the Rough String

Life on a Sunny Ridge

The Life of a Farmer's Wife

We have lots to do today. Yesterday morning was spent at the hospital having tests done as Gage is having some issues with breathing. He had problems a couple years ago and they attributed it to allergies/asthma. ???

The problems seemed to dissappear but they have recently returned, though a bit different this time around. He has had blood work done and yesterday he had a echocardiagram.

4 chambers of the heart

 Next week he will have a respiratory test and then maybe we can find out what is causing his problems. The doctor doesn't aniticipate any heart problems but wants to rule out the possibilities. I'll just be glad when the tests are done and hopefully an answer is there.

We also are awaiting the arrival of out of town family members. My SIL and niece are on their way and should be arriving within the next few hours so I'd better get moving.

Catch you all later & hope you have a great day!

Steak Rub

As I said in my last post this weekend was a pretty relaxing and lazy weekend. So lazy that I didn't really want to even cook. So much of my days are spent in the kitchen and it often seems like as soon as I get the dishes done up from one meal then it's time to turn around and begin on the next feast. So as with any job sometimes you just need a little vacation and that is what I took this weekend.
We cooked out on Saturday with just the typical quick and easy fare. Then on Sunday I was clueless as to what to make because I still didn't want to cook. However with a house full of hungry bellies somebody has got to do the job. So I decided the easiest thing would be to cook out again... but what to cook this time??
We just had hamburgers the night before so I needed something different. The only other thing that I had in the freezer that could be grilled (and would please my picky bunch) was a couple of top round steaks. Not the best for grilling but it was all I had so I began to think of what I could do with that steak to make it good. I went through my spice cabinet and mixed a little of this and a little of that.
The end result was oh so tasty.
I'm not sure if it was the spices that I used or the fact that my husband grilled them to perfection or maybe the combination of the two but boy were they good.

                                      Steak Rub

        1 oz. packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing
                                           mix
                                1/4 tsp. onion powder
                             1/4 tsp. cajun seasoning
                                     1 tsp. paprika
                                     3/4 tsp. sea salt
                                  1 tsp. brown sugar
                       1/2 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning

Mix this all in a bowl and then rub it on to the steak.
Place steak in a dish and cover with foil.
Let it rest in the refrigerator till time to cook.
Enjoy!

Relaxing Weekend~A Finish and some Sprucing Up

The dogs had the right idea this weekend. Just sit back and chill out! The weather was super ~ not too hot nor too cold!
Just right to grab a good book and find a warm sunny spot outdoors to sit and read the day away.
I did manage to get a few things done in between all my reading but not much.
I finished this pillow that I started over a year ago. It has been stitched for quite a while but it needed to be made into something. So that something was a pillow that now lays on top of my bed.

The only other thing that I did was some sprucing up out front of the house. It's been a few years since I replaced the mulch around my hostas and it was beginning to look pretty shabby to I decided to add some new before the hostas took over. Before long they will be so big that you won't even be able to see much of that mulch.

Other than that I got the house all cleaned up and ready for a new work week (school week). We were off a week for Spring Break and with all this nice weather nobody wants to return to school but we have to. It won't be much longer though and school will be over. Yeah!

I have been given a few awards (tags) lately and really need to sit down and get them posted and passed on. For one of them I need to post 10 things about me that you may not know and I'm having a real hard time coming up with 10 things that I haven't already told you all about myself.
I also have a few recipes to share so I need to just sit down and type them up.
Well I've rambled on long enough. I will be back tomorrow with a yummy steak rub. I'm not a big steak person but I could learn to be if every steak tasted as good as yesterdays did.

Monthly Meal Plan #1

It's time to do my monthly shopping trip so in my planning I have put together a meal plan and thought that I would share it with all of you.

                         Monthly Meal Plan #1

Lasagna, green beans, rolls and applesauce
Fried chicken, rice and veggie
Sausage Gravy over Biscuits
Tacos
Ham Loaf, scalloped potatoes and a veggie
Cheeseburger and fries
Chili and cornbread
Baked Cornflake Chicken, Scalloped Corn, salad and applesauce
Vanilla Waffles and bacon
Crock Pot Cheesey Beef & Mac
Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and Veggie Casserole
Hot dogs in crescent rolls with Onion rings
Baked Steak, mashed potatoes and a veggie
Meatballs and spaghetti with salad and breadsticks
Hot and Sweet Chicken, rice and veggie
Breakfast Casserole and toast
Sloppy Joes, macaroni and cheese and peas
Bubble Pizza
Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and veggie
Pepper Steak without Tomatoes, mashed potatoes and veggie
Breakfast Burritos
Oven Baked Burgers with Oven Fries
Chicken and dumplings with mashed potatoes and a veggie
Hamburger Gravy, mashed potatoes or fries, salad and green beans
Homemade pizza

That should be about 25 meals which works for us. We go to my parent's on Sundays for a family dinner plus I allowed for 1 take-out meal for the month.
Hope you can find something new or interesting from my list.
I know that I really enjoy looking at all of your menus in hopes of finding something a little different to bring to our table.
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Spring Break is Over

Good Morning All!
My oldest son headed back to school this morning after being off for Spring Break ~ which was a real bummer. Well Spring Break wasn't a bummer but having to go back WAS!
The weather this week couldn't have been better. It has been so nice and warm. Actually a little too warm for me. As usual anymore it goes from being cold straight into really hot weather. It was 85° in my kitchen the other day so I finally broke and turned the AC on. But today they are calling for rain with cooler temps. moving in so I've got it turned off and the windows open which is what I would prefer.
Not a whole lot has been going on here. I've been catching up on lots of little things that I have wanted to get done but never seem to have enough time for. I came down with a cold that really kicked my butt for a day or two but have since picked back up. I finished the last of my spring cleaning, worked on a few crafts & spent lots of time with my nose in a good book. It's been nice to have the week off with nothing important that HAD to be done. Just relaxed and enjoyed it. I hope to do the same till Monday when it's back to school for us too!
This weekend is when I do my big monthly shopping trip so I've been trying to make a grocery list as well as a menu plan. I've never posted a monthly menu before but I really enjoy viewing others. I always have high hopes of finding something new to bring to our table. So I plan to get my meal plan typed up so that I can share it all with you. Well that it's for today. Hope you all have a great day and I'll catch you later.

Happy Easter To Everyone!

Planting SPUDS

This morning didn't start out very well but it ended quite nicely.
I slept in this morning which was much needed after all the cleaning that I did the day before. However, not long after I got up I got a call from the husband. Those early morning phone calls are never good. It usually means that something is wrong and as usual that was the case. He was having problems with his vehicle and needed a tow truck. :( UGH!
Once he finished his work he hitched a ride with the tow truck driver and headed home for the Easter weekend. Now we just need to figure out what all is wrong with his vehicle and see about getting it fixed.
That whole ordeal kinda put a dent in my day but I figured there was no sense in fretting over it. So once he was home I headed to the co-op ( my original plan for the day) to get some potatoes to plant as well as a few other things. I also stopped and picked up some compost and manure to put on the garden as I planted. When I pulled in back home my husband was already in the garden with the tiller and my son was heading for the lawn mower. *See the day is getting better already!*
By this evening we had the garden all fertilized and tilled up again and three rows of potatoes planted. As it looks now, I think we still will have the room to plant 4 rows of corn, 1 row of green beans, 2 rows of tomatoes and 2 rows of peppers. Those are the crops that we get the most use of and that grow well. Oh, I forgot to add the squash in there too!
It's been a very long and tiring day but we got lots accomplished.

The kids all played outdoors today. They helped my Dad till up and fix a piece of his yard that has a low spot that sits in water when it rains. When finished they helped him cover the new grass seed with straw and then this evening they helped him put together some new lawn furniture. This weather is just what we have all been needing. Lots of sunshine and warm temps. Just too nice to sit inside!
I thought maybe we would take it easy the rest of this weekend but I've got one more job to get completed.

See that clothesline pole. Well I'm hoping to get those moved on back in the yard a bit more to where the swingset once sat. The posts are concreted in so it may take a bit of digging but once they are moved then I can pull the truck clear way up into the back yard to unload groceries right at the back door. That will be a real lifesaver when I make my big once a month shopping trip. Right now we just park out front and lug everything up the stairs to the kitchen.
Well I think I've rambled on long enough so I will head to bed now. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Can't Blog Now ~ Too Busy Cleaning!

Spring Cleaning!
I figured I might as well get it over and done with and since the weather is so beautiful right now it's a great time to get all of the curtains and such washed up so that they can air dry outside on the lines. That way I don't shrink them in the dryer.
I got 3 small rooms washed down and put all back together yesterday and today I'm working on our room and Katie's bedroom. It's just now a little after 9 and I already have our room finished so maybe I will get an extra one  done today.
Yippee! *I'm not really that excited about it but it will be great to get the house finished and marked off of my to-do list.
Well it's time to get back to work so I will have to catch up with all of you later.

C-Ya