Getting to know you...

Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground requested "getting to know you" and yes, I want to participate....


Check it out and pay it forward...I did

An Un-Kitchen Recipe...

Apparently there is more than one way to cook up something good and you never even have to step foot in the kitchen...even though it would work there too!



The recipe of prayer...

First, check out this video that Niecey posted on MckMama's blog...and definitely grab your kleenex first. I don't know where this song came from, but I can't believe that it wasn't written specifically for Stellan...amazing!



Now the fantastic news of the day! Stellan was discharged today from the Children's Hospital in Boston. After 5 1/2 weeks of cross-country hospitalization, this sweet child is going home. Was his surgery successful? Moderately speaking, yes. Was his stay in Boston worth it? Definitely. Were the doctors in Boston solely responsible for stablizing this child? No. I believe that God intervened and that the power of prayer from literally all over the world holds the majority of the responsibility for this miracle.





Need I say more?

8 Things...

My daughter-in-love, Lianna, over at Growing Our Own Garden, tagged me...okay, I admit it...it was last Thursday and I'm just now getting it together to do a post of my "8 Things".

8 Things...

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. A week off of work later next month.
2. Memorial Day party.
3. Jill and Jim's (Lianna's parents) and all the furbabies' visit.
4. Hanging out by the pool this summer.
5. Playing with Mikey.
6. Delivery of my new refrigerator next Saturday.
7. Renovating and upgrading my house.
8. My next grandchild.


8 Things I Did Yesterday:

Since I can't really remember what all I did last Wednesday, these are things I did yesterday.

1. Got my nails done...a new full set.
2. Got a pedicure.
3. Went to the grocery store (and overdid it as usual).
4. Enjoyed my leftovers from Longhorn's from the night before.
5. Blog and Twitter stalked.
6. Took a 3-hour nap.
7. Watched my DVR'd shows.
8. Played computer games.

(yes, pretty much wasted the whole day away...felt so good!)


8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Buy a new house with a pool.
2. Get out of this neighborhood.
3. Eat more of what I want but lose weight.
4. Exercise better and lose weight.
5. Stop aging!
6. Retire sooner.
7. Make better use of my time.
8. Sleep better.


8 Shows I Watch:

1. Celebrity Apprentice
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Biggest Loser
4. American Idol
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Private Practice
7. Hell's Kitchen
8. Young & the Restless and Bold & the Beautiful

(okay, I know that's 9, but it is what it is!)


I tag Heather, Annell, Faith and Ashley Nicole.

Ok, it's been over a week and still no Easter recipes posted. I was hoping to get them all and do them all in one post but it's apparent to me now that that's not going to happen. So I'll put a couple on here for now and hopefully my 'good cookin' family will get the others to me before next Easter! Ha!

So let's just start with a few pics of Mikey, the Hawaiian Easter Bunny!

Where am I?

Tell me why!

Let me examine this bunny toy...

Mikey & Aunt Brenna - Easter by the river...

Doink!

Now some food (or what's left of it). Mind you, the food pictures were taken AFTER everyone dug in but that should only tell you how good everything was.

The proverbial honey baked ham ... ala Tim!

Spinach Bars...ala Brenna


Sauteed Green Beans...ala Brenna

Glazed Carrots...ala Kim

Spinach Casserole...ala Me...recipe to follow

Broccoli Rice Casserole...ala Mike

Potato Salad Texas Style...ala Lianna...recipe to follow

Easter Bunny Cake missing one ear...ala Mike!

And now for a couple of recipes...let's start with the Potato Salad Texas Style. Lianna made this with the sage advice of Mr Jim, her Dad who is one of the best in the kitchen!

Potato Salad Texas Style

This is a recipe I use for 8 to 10 people. I like the red potatoes, but Irish or white potatoes are just as good.

Cut in cubes 1 inch by 1 inch, 8 large potatoes.........the size that is as big as your hand. Boil until soft but not mushy. Once soft, drain and let them cool.

Cut up 5 celery stalks into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut up one medium onion, 1/2 the size of the celery. Chop one small bottle of green olives stuffed with pimentos....same size as the onion. Cut up two medium sized dill pickles........could be kosher or plain dill.

Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Add three tablespoons of "real mayonnaise".....not the mayo called salad dressing.

To spice it up, add two teaspoons of "spicy mustard"............. Plain mustard will work too. Add salt and pepper to taste............ a teaspoon of oregano, and a teaspoon of parsley is good for taste and some added color.

If you want to get real fancy with it, fry 6 strips of bacon very crisp or add real bacon bits on top of the mixture...... it's a presentation thing if you want to add some thinly sliced boiled eggs on top and a sprinkle of paprika.......... more color.

Oh, the possibilites are endless...

Now on to my deviled eggs. You'll notice there aren't any pictures of them...all gone! This is a staple as far as my kids, David especially, are concerned and although I always try to make enough to maybe even save a couple, they are always all gone, so I was too late for pictures but here goes...

Deviled Eggs

18 boiled eggs

Mayonnaise (either real or low fat will do)
Real Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

So simple and yet so good! Scoop out the yokes, mash with a fork, mix with mayo, mustard, salt and pepper until you get the desired consistency. Spoon mixture into eggs and sprinkle with paprika for color. Then hide them! Especially if David is anywhere in the vicinity!

The next one I got from Weight Watchers' so I'll give them the credit but it went over great! I varied the 'put together' a little but you'll get the gist!

Spinach Casserole (Alias Tuscan Casserole)

1 can Cannellini Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup regular egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
8 oz. mushrooms (sliced)
3 slices Pepperidge Farm thin sliced bread (torn into small pieces)
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Combine the beans, spinach, ricotta cheese, egg substitute, salt and pepper. Saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Fold into the spinach mixture and put into a 9 x 9 pan. Top with bread pieces and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until bread is toasted and let stand for 10 minutes.

And now for a couple of updates.

Check out the PERFECT PACKAGE GIVEAWAY over at Be Thou a Knight! You won't be sorry!

My friend Tammy's nephew got wonderful results. He had surgery and the supposed tumor turned out to be an old hematoma and he is expected to make a full recovery!

The big one...hit your knees...Stellan will have surgery tomorrow morning at 8:30 am EST. He has been such a trooper and this surgery just has to be his ticket home to his family...please pray like you've never prayed before!

And last but not least...Happy Birthday to my son Brian...Happy 30th! That is so scary for me!!!!!

Until next time...

Last Chance...

Wow! I am such a slacker! Today is the last day to enter the PRE-GIVEAWAY over at Be Thou A Knight. This is a must have, so hop on over and get your entries in quick!

Happy Easter....

Wishing a blessed Easter to everyone!

A Few Updates...

Not much cooking going on lately...but I wanted to share a few updates.

1. Unfortunately, the good news I shared in my last post about Stellan changed somewhat almost as I hit publish. Although he is doing well at the moment, they probably will be flying him to Boston next week for surgery. Please pray for him!

2. I posted a tweet to pray for my good friend Tammy's nephew who had surgery last Monday for a tumor in his leg. Well, there is good news there! The doctor felt like it was more like a bruising but they have sent testing off to the lab. So please still pray that the results will be good.

3. And last but not least, guess who won Prize Package A on the GIGANTIC GIVEAWAY? Yay for me!!!!

4. Oh and very last but not least...I don't even know if I shared that my daughter-in-love, Susan, was laid off several weeks ago. Well, after much pounding the pavement, she got a job yesterday! I am so HAPPY for her!

And I plan on sharing some Easter recipes within the next few days...so please stay tuned!

Things Are Looking Up...

Is there anything sweeter than a peacefully-sleeping baby? Stellan has been out of SVT for 48 hours straight and is starting act like the happy baby he was before all this mess started 13 days ago.





For more updates, please go to MckMama's blog and while you're there, check out Stellan's Name Gallery. . . you'll be glad you did as you witness the visible power of prayer at work!