WEEKEND WORRIES ANYONE?

Well a big hidy “ho, ho, ho” to you this breezy Saturday morning! Hope this blog finds you in the best of spirits. So tell me, whatcha think of the little graphics I added? I’m getting the hang of this site day by day and ya’ll are gonna be shocked when one day you come on here and its got so much glitter, you gotta wear sunglasses to dull the shine LOL! And I added an email button to make it easier for you to reach me too! Sooo, you getting excited yet? Check out the countdown! ALMOST into single digits now!! I’m getting very excited as the days draw near to Christmas. But I got the worries creepin’ up on me too cause I still have projects to finish and even a couple still to start! UGH! I think we are as decorated out as we are gonna get with the exception of the outside… the rain and bitter cold has kept us from getting that done and its annoying me LOL!

Well, I must say I did much better yesterday when I went back to JC Penny with my coupons! I used 3 of them… 3 separate purchases (in different department cashiers of course LOL) and I got a total of 3 T-shirts, a package of the funky socks my DS loves, and some flannel pajama pants for my DD… All for only $4.30 COMBINED TOTAL! YAY! Go me! I have to pick up 2 more coupons from a lady off the freecycle tomorrow, and then I will take those and the ones I still have and go back again! YEEHAW!!! I saw some other things there I KNOW will qualify that I could get so I don’t run into the same problem as the other day! Here's my JCP gold strike!



I’m not doing real good on my freezer cooking stock up cause the gang keeps eating them all as soon as I get them done!! I had 26 portions of soup and 12 TV dinners completed… NOT ANYMORE! Little piglets I swear! LOL… so today I am gonna make another attempt at stockup meals. Gotta work on my dry mixes today too! Cookie mixes, homemade spice mixes, homemade flavored coffee creamers, homemade instant oatmeal packets, etc. I’m real excited about them! So the whole day is gonna be about food, so lets make all the crafts and recipes about food too!



Craft Idea of the Day: Flavored Coffee Creamers

Here are some recipes for a bunch of different flavored coffee creamers. If you have someone who loves coffee you can put these in either decorated ziploc bags or the small glass jars/containers (labeled of course LOL) and put them in a coffee basket with some ground coffee, a pretty mug, maybe a box of stir sticks, and maybe even some chocolate covered spoons! Or the creamers themselves would make a nice gift too! To use them is simple… Add one Tbsp. of mixture or more to your favorite coffee, coffee substitute, or hot chocolate even!

PUMPKIN PIE CREAMER
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. allspice (optional)
3 C. powdered milk

IRISH CREAM
1 pack butter mints, crushed
2 cups chocolate malt mix
1/2 cup Nestle's quick
2 cups non-dairy powdered creamer

CHOCOLATE MALT
2 cups instant hot cocoa mix
2/3 cup non-dairy powdered creamer
2/3 cup malted milk mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon

AMARETTO CREAM
3/4 cup non-dairy powdered creamer
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup powdered sugar

FIRESIDE CREAMER
2 cups hot cocoa mix
2 cups non-dairy powdered creamer
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

BAVARIAN MINT
3/4 cup non-dairy powdered creamer
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

MOCHA FLAVOR
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons cocoa

CINNAMON FLAVOR
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

TOFFEE FLAVOR
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup non-dairy powdered creamer
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butterscotch flavored instant pudding mix

OMG I think my favorites are the Toffee and the Pumpkin Pie seriously! YUMMY! You can use your imagination on how to decorate the jars or you can even buy a bag of preprinted holiday ziploc bags. The choice is up to you! Now with all those recipes, you are thinking how could she POSSIBLY have anything else up her sleeve today, right? WRONG! Darlins, I’m filled with useless (and some useful LOL) knowledge! I could bombard you with recipes all day and night! That's what happens when you are one of those old fashioned “Susie homemaker not afraid to experiment and occasionally screw up” kind of women LMAO!!!! So its time to eat… Chicken and White Bean Stew with some garlic toast sounds good for dinner, right? Yea a huge batch should do nicely!



Chicken & White Bean Stew

Ingredients
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 10-oz. pkgs. refrigerated light Alfredo sauce
1 15-oz. can Great Northern or white kidney beans (cannellini beans), rinsed and drained
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped red onion (1 medium)
1 4-oz. can diced green chile peppers
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese (1 ounce) (optional)
Fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Directions
1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle chicken with cumin and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken, half at a time, in hot oil over medium heat until brown. Place chicken in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in alfredo sauce, beans, broth, onion, chile peppers, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. If desired, sprinkle each serving with cheese and parsley. Makes 8 servings.

Well guys and dolls, I think I’ve crammed your noggin with enough for one day! I’m off to destroy the kitchen in the attempts to make life easier! LOL talk about your oxy morons huh? The kids aren’t gonna like the dish load LOL but they sure do like the food, so they can’t really complain LMAO! That’s the rule in this house- I cook, they clean! Everyone does their fair share. The great part is that normally they don’t give me any slack about it either… such a good group of kids! Ok gang, talk to you tomorrow… HUGS!