Sunday, September 29, 2013

Co-hosting Excitement with Heather @ The Frill of Life!

Come one, come all! Come give us your monthly review! Link up your favorite posts; ones you wrote, ones you read, ones you heard about. Don't forget to tell your friends! Tweet about us using #MonthlyReviewLinkup
Okay, friends, here's how this is going to work:
  • Please grab a button below and post in your linked up posts or in your sidebar. This will help our linky grow and get YOU more views!
  • Follow your host (that's me) and your co-host in one form or fashion.
  • Link up to 3 posts from September only. OR link up one post with links to your September posts within that linked post.
  • Give us a shout-out on Twitter using #MonthlyReviewLinkup and we'll be sure to see your posts!
  • Check back next month to see if you're featured. We will feature four posts every month. If you are featured, feel free to grab a featured button and wear that baby with pride on your sidebar!
  • If you'd like to co-host, email me!
Profile pic
This month I'm thrilled to introduce Tammy from The Happy Handicap as my co-host!
Tammy Stafford
The question I hate. What is your niche? Truth is I don't have one. I love everything and most things make me happy. I can become passionate (in a hurry) on almost any subject. In my clumsy world you'll find blogs about almost everything and anything. I live life to "stay out of the box", please don't put me in one! Boxes are usually small, cramped and hard to breathe in.
Let's do this!
The Frill of Life
Since this is our first link up, I'm going to share with you 2 of my favorite posts that Tammy posted in September.
As a fellow short girl, I really appreciated the post where Tammy talked about hugging short girls. I also enjoyed when she talked about How to Cook and Clean at the Same Time! It was really tough to just choose two posts. Tammy cracks me up every time I read her blog because she's so funny without even trying to be! Thanks for co-hosting my first link-up, Tammy!
The Frill of Life
I will also highlight two of my own posts each month. Here are the two from September I want to make sure you don't miss!
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="407,565"]
Biblical & Creative Correction was my most popular post ever, so if you haven't read it yet, go see what all the fuss is about.
My Secret Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies were a hit over at Love, Pasta and a Toolbelt. Thanks, Emily, for letting me take over your space for a day!
Now, let's party, shall we? Link up your posts below. I look forward to reading them all!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

A Flavorful & Easy Main Dish Recipe

My Mom created this dish years ago
My Dad hated it!
but over the years he has grown to
eat a spoonful or two
He calls it "Goo-lock"
so that's what we call it too!
 
Goo-lock is a flavorful & easy main dish
you won't need a recipe card
make this once and
you've got it!
Here we go...
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Brown a pound of ground chuck
drain the beef
and transfer to a mixing bowl
I used my PC large batter bowl
add 1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red onion
 
add 1 heaping cup macaroni uncooked
 
 add 1 heaping cup sharp cheddar cheese
 Add 16 oz. crushed tomatoes
I used a can of my Mom's homemade canned tomatoes
YUMMY!
Juicer tomatoes cook the macaroni better
Add salt & pepper to taste
Stir ingredients and pour into 8" casserole dish
Cover with foil and put into preheated oven
Cook covered for 30 minutes
Uncover and BROIL for 10 minutes
Sprinkle some more cheese on top if desired.
 Today I served this with
rutabagas, broccoli and fried zucchini
So simple but sooooo good!
 
Loving easy recipes,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
 
Leave me a comment and let me know how your "goo-lock" turned out!


Friday, September 27, 2013

The Secret to Flavorful Chicken Salad


Begin with two chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes
or until done throughout.
This is where I start to do things a bit different
Process the baked chicken breasts in your food processor
to look like this
Add your fruit & veggies
1 cup of quartered red seedless grapes
1 large stalk celery diced
1 medium carrot julienned
1/4 cup diced red pepper
 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans
I use my Pampered Chef manual food processor
to chop the pecans
so fast and simple
put everything on top
 of your chopped chicken
get ready to combine ingredients
it should look something like this
before mixing
if i don't have red seedless grapes
or if they are not in season and sour,
i use my favorite apple chopped or
chopped strawberries tastes wonderful also!
now for my secret ingredient
drum roll please...
to bind all the dry ingredients together
use about 3 tbsp. Hellman's mayonaisse
( Hellmann's is gluten free!)
1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
(Pomegranate infused provides healthy antioxidants)
1 heaping tbsp of sugar to balance the acid
AND
my "go-to" seasoning always, always
(but don't tell anyone)
The Secret to Flavorful Chicken Salad...
MRS. DASH ORIGINAL!!!
salt & pepper to taste
 Oh, and...
everything is better and healthier 
with a fresh squeeze of lemon.
and...that's right
no onions in this chicken salad!
this is what you get.

perfect chicken salad
every time.
add some crackers or toast 
(gluten free of course),
on a bed of spring greens
and 
ENJOY!
So fresh, So flavorful
stored in an air-tight container
for at least 7 days!
Double the recipe because
you're gonna love it!
my family never gets tired
of eating this flavorful chicken salad.
They even ASK me to make it!!!


wtf meaning "with tasty flavor",
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Now you share with me your secret to great chicken salad
  I love comments!




Wednesday, September 25, 2013

One Way to have a Great Presentation

pretty-things
Do you like pretty things? Of course, you do and so do I! Our species likes pretty people, pretty places, pretty pets, pretty cars, we even like pretty food. We are all about PRESENTATION. One way to have a great presentation is physical. Women look better with makeup, men look better clean cut (personally I like a 5 o'clock shadow and long hair on men but don't tell anybody) and kids look better if they don't get dirty. There's nothing wrong with looking good but sometimes I think we take it to extremes. We wish to live in houses we can't afford - I'm guilty. We buy pretty cars that cost as much as a house - I'm not guilty.  We come close to humanizing our pets because they are soooo cute. Could you love an ugly dog? And, what about our food? We need a colorful plate with variation. The United States probably wastes enough food on garnishes to feed a small starving nation. Yes, we're all about presentation, how we look and how others perceive us. 

people-cars-places-pets-food

Did you know we are giving a presentation every day? For people and for God. They're watching and listening to us. I hope God is shaking his head in agreement during our presentations. You shouldn't be nervous because he don't care about your clothes or your Sunday best.  If you've been saved, you're wearing the most beautiful garment ever ...a white robe. He don't care where you live. He'll visit you, in your house, just like he did Zacchaeus. He'll ride in your car whether you drive a Mercedes or a Ford. He created your pet and he loves them all. He don't have to eat so quit worrying about dinner!

living-sacrifice

Here's the moral of the story and one way to have a great presentation.  If you aren't prepared for your presentation, it may turn disastrous quickly. For example, most people prepare their clothes before going to bed for the next day. Ever been undecided about your clothes and your wardrobe turn into a disaster? If you don't prepare for travel and fill your gas tank, you may be a walking disaster! You even have to plan dinner to get the right colors on the plate. Ask Jesus to rule over your day to avoid disasters with people. People are our most critical audience. God is our most forgiving audience.  If you want to be presentable, follow the advice of Paul in Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye PRESENT your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Have you worked on your Godly presentation lately?

In His Presence,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Leave me a comment and let me know how this devotional spoke to you.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Do you have any "Door Dwellers"?

This, my friends, is my vintage 1985 model
GE side-by-side, ice thru the door
awesome refrigerator!
complete with magnets from the
last 28 years...
I can't bear to part with it; because
it's had one repair in 28 years
replaced the rubber around the doors
and
they are not makin 'em like this anymore folks!

Check out that retro brown and black
shelf design
I'm getting pretty personal to let you see my naked self  shelf!

My husband says there's a place for everything
and everything in it's place.
Hence, my question
Do you have any Door Dwellers?
What items in your refrigerator hangs out
in your door shelves?

It may be the same things in your refrigerator
that's in our refrigerator shelves
can you guess it?
whatta you think?
frustrate you if you reach for them and they're not there?
uh, no!
not me
but my husband, YES!

 You guessed it
CONDIMENTS!
They must be in the door
"Door Dwellers"

I hate it when a designated door dweller won't
fit in the shelf.
I either have to move the shelf
not happening
or
set them in the regular space in the refrigerator.

I'm thinking there should be a standard height 
for condiment packaging
and they should be stamped
"DD APPROVED"
so we'd never have to wonder if they will play nice
and dwell in our doors!
What do you think?
Should I call the patent office?
Leave me a comment!

Re-arranging my self shelves,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap