Fantastic Friday

What's for supper?    Do you make a menu for the week/month or do you just decided that day what you are fixing for supper?   I have done both and I found that not having a menu for the week caused me to spend more money at the grocery store.   So I have been making out a menu for the week and only buy what I need for those meals and I am trying to use items that have been sitting in my cabinets.   This has really helped with the budget.  So tell me how to you plan your meals?   I would love to hear about it and I would also love for you to share one your families favorite meals.    I don't know about you but I like finding new items to add to the menu.  
   I found this recipe for Million Dollar Spaghetti on Pinterest and gave it a try,  LOVE IT.    Eric, Piper and I all agreed it was a keeper.      Happy eating and hope you all have a great weekend.

Small Wonders Wednesday

Slightly windblown but enjoying her applesauce

Don't you just love it when you find ways to save money!   I know I sure do.  Well my little girl just loves what she calls "squishy fruit."  You probably know it as Applesauce in the squeeze pouches.  These are great for easy snacks, no mess, no spoon...you get the picture.  I usually buy mine at Costco and save a little money but as I was looking at Pinterest the other day I came across a pin for refillable pouches.  I knew I needed to find some.   To make a long story short I found some at a local Wal-Mart for about $8.00 for two.  The initial cost seems high for two pouches but I know in the long run it will save me money.   The pouches I bought are made by BooginHead but I know there are others who make them.  So far I really like them,  dishwasher safe, freezable and easy to fill.  I cannot wait to use them for homemade baby food for the twins.  I am thinking I will have to invest in some more.  These will be so much better then carrying heavy jars of baby food(for 2 babies) in the diaper bag.  
*This review was entirely my own, it was not done for money or product.

Day's of Christmas...Day 14

Well I am a day late and dollar short but at least I got a picture for the 14th. Yesterday we went to our prenatal classes again and then to church to hear the BMI choir, they did a real nice job. I made this Christmas tree veggie pizza as to contribute to the snacks for after the service. It must have been good because it was all gone.

Here is a 33 week picture of Mommy Missy. I am getting very ready for the time to be here when we can meet our baby. We have our last prenatal class tonight, we get to tour the maternity ward. I would recommend taking prenatal classes to anyone who is having a baby for the first time, they are very informative and answer a lot of questions. Well got to go make cookies with Payton, Yummy!

A great fall cookie

I thought I would try a new Pumpkin cookie recipe from my Gooseberry Patch "Fall, Family & Friends" cookbook. So with a little help from Payton I set out to make some "Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies."

All the ingredients for the cookie.
Can I stir? Can I stir now?
Onto the cookie sheet.
Ta-Da finally finished.

Sorry I did not get any photos of the icing making but my patients and time were running out. They turned out to be very yummy cookies and very easy to make.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

2 eggs beaten 4 c. all-purpose flour

15-oz can pumpkin 1 T. plus 1 t. baking powder

2 c. sugar 2 t. cinnamon

1 c. oil 1/2 t. baking soda

2 t. vanilla extract 1/4 t. salt

Combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar, oil and vanilla in a large bowl; set aside. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture; stir well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each to a 2-inch circle. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until set and bottoms are golden. Cool on wire racks. spread half the cookies with filling and top with remaining cookies. Store in refrigerator.

Filling:

8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened 16-oz. pkg powdered sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened 1 t. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Recipe says makes 3 dozen, mine made 4.

Help Wanted...

WANTED: Someone willing to cook for a pregnant lady! Really I think I am about ready to hire a cook, I can't seem to think straight when I get in the kitchen. This evening after I got home from working with my Mother in-law I decided Pumpkin Pie sounded so good. And thus began my attempt at getting it made, it is not a hard thing to make, I have made a couple before. But with my brain, first I did not have all the spices I needed so I improvised, no big deal and then we get to the part about adding Evaporated Milk...to make a long story short twice I opened a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and wouldn't you know the last time I really thought I had the right thing in my hand and so I proceeded to dump it in. And so I am now sitting here waiting on my husband to get home with my car so I can go to the store and get more ingredients. Doesn't anyone feel sorry for me? Now you can see why I am ready to hire a cook, the only thing you need to know how to make "this week" are pumpkin pies, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Anyone want the job?

Making Applesauce

Yesterday I made some wonderful homemade applesauce. I have pictures of most of the steps it takes to make it so I will let them tell the story.

1. Picking the apples, the wagon makes the job more fun.

2. Slicing the apples. Thanks for this handy gadget Mom!
3. Fill the bowl with apples add sugar and cinnamon

and then put in the microwave until very tender.

4. This is the "fun" part, running the cooked apples through the food mill.
5. And finally the finished product, ready to go to the freezer.
It is hard work but when all it cost is time and a bag of sugar it sure beats buying the stuff.

I still have one more bucket of apples in the fridge that have to be done but this little Mommy was to tired to do anymore last night. Come visit me sometime this fall and I will share some of the applesauce with you.

Favorite Cookbook?

Yesterday I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets and got all my cookbook out. I decided they needed to be in a handier location than on the top cabinet shelf. As you can tell I love Gooseberry Patch books. They have wonderful recipes made with everyday ingredients, I dislike cookbooks that use things I can't even say. I would love to know if any of you have a favorite cookbook or recipe.

Here are all my Gooseberry books. Eric took a look at the shelf and said "And you want more?"
My entire collection of cookbooks (for now) . Here is one of our favorite recipes from the book Almost Homemade by Gooseberry Patch.

Fiesta Taco Pie
8-oz. tube refrigerated crescent rolls

8-oz. can tomato sauce

1 c. nacho cheese chips crushed and divided

1-1/4 oz. pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 lb. ground beef

3 T. sour cream

1 onion, chopped

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Separate crescent rolls and line an ungreased 9" pie plate with them; press together to form a pie crust. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup crushed tortilla chips and set aside. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet; drain. Add tomato sauce and taco seasoning; simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into pie plate. Spread sour cream over top; sprinkle cheese and remaining chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Enjoy!

Jerky anyone?

Last night when we got home from church Eric and I mixed up a batch of jerky.(I guess that's what you call it, a batch.) This fall someone gave us a deer and so we decided to make jerky out of it. Monday night Eric's Uncle Tom came over and helped Eric debone & take the fat off the meat.(I did not get a picture of that, but there was blood all over my kitchen island and even some on the floor. Bleach to the rescue.) After cutting it up they went to another relatives who has a commercial meat grinder and so now we have a cooler full of ground deer. I don't know exactly how much we have, but enough to keep up supplied with jerky for a long time.

Weighing the meat, the measurement have to be exact to know how much seasoning and cure to add.

Mixing and Mixing you have to mix it for five minutes, it gets really sticky. Then we had to refrigerate it over night. Today we will put it in the dehydrator.
Thanks Matt for letting us use your Jerky Shooter and seasoning. I am sure it will be good.

What a day!!

Well today has been one busy day. Our preacher and his family were coming over for supper and Payton did not want to obey very well today. So I had quite the time telling her not to turn the tree lights on and off, not to turn the computer screen off and much, much more. But anyway all the house work got done and the supper was very nice. I put Taco soup in the crockpot this morning and this afternoon I made some very yummy pumpkin bars. It was a new recipe but it turned out great. Tomorrow I will try to post some pictures of my Christmas decorations. I tried taking some to night but my camera is going dead and the pictures are fuzzy. Thank you to everyone that posted an anniversary greeting, we appreciated everyone of them. Today Eric went to town to get somethings and brought me a very pretty pink potted flower. He is such a sweetheart.

Fall Pumpkin Squares

2 t. cinnamon 2 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda 2 c. flour

1 t. salt 2 c. pumpkin

1 t. vanilla 1 c. oil

4 eggs

Mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture into jelly roll pan or 9"x13" and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes(until toothpick comes out clean).

Icing:

2 to 2 3/4 c. powdered sugar 3/4 stick of butter softened

8 to 11 oz. cream cheese 2 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spread on cooled pumpkin squares. Keep refrigerated.

Great recipe

Here is a great recipe for fall, if you are anything like me when the weather starts turning cooler soup becomes our favorite meal. This is a good and easy slow cooker soup, put it on in the morning and come home to supper already to eat.

Beefy Taco Soup
1 lb. Ground Beef, browned and drained
14.5 oz can Stewed Tomatoes
15 oz can Kidney Beans
1 1/4 oz package Taco seasoning mix
8 oz can Tomato sauce

Stir ingredients together; pour into a slow cooker. Heat on low setting for 6 to 8 hours; stir occasionally. Add water to thin to desired consistency.
Serves 4 to 6
Serve with cheese and tortilla chips