CABBAGE PATCH SOUP, RANDOM HANDMADE POLKA DOTS, etc!!!

It has been a whole week since I last posted! I can't believe how fast that week went!

Anyway, it is finally getting chilly here! I am so excited! Finally we can start wearing our flannels, big sweat shirts and eat lots of soup! Here is a wonderful soup! It warms you up in no time! This is for turkeycookies soup swap 08!CABBAGE PATCH SOUP
from: CRAZY PLATES Cookbook

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6oz can tomato paste
5 cups beef broth
2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
3 cups chopped cabbage
In a large soup pot, cook beef, celery, onions, green pepper, and garlic over medium-high heat until beef is browned. Add all remaining ingredients, except cabbage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in cabbage and simmer 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Makes 8 servings

Some random handmade polka dots on my handmade journal cover! I love that pink and brown together! I made that bear for Lilli! She wants a skirt on it with a bow so I guess she will have a bear dressed! I hope to have the journals, journal covers, and some bears on etsy soon!

The inside of the journal cover and front of journal!

I almost forgot the bag I made from a tutorial from tinyhappy! What fun! I am seriously thinking that I will give the pink set away to celebrate my birthday! Come back tomorrow and I will have all of the particulars!

That's all for today! Have a wonderful evening!

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you have wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

It's Friday!

Well, it's Friday! The week seemed to go slow until yesterday, then I realized tomorrow is Friday, and wondered where did the week go!!!
Our week consisted of John and I getting the sinus infection that Lilli had. So far Gayle is well!
Thank goodness! Tuesday and Wednesday we watched Christmas movies, my favorite to watch, especially when I'm sick! Though it was 2:00 in the afternoon, we were in our jammies with something cold to drink and eating popcorn! Yesterday we decided we needed to get dressed and some fresh air! We went out and got our yard ready for fall! We got so tired we didn't get the corn and lights up yet! That is on our list for today! The temps are reaching high 70's low 80's so we came in and baked some very refreshing lemon bars!Yummy! I know they are more for summer, but they really tasted good yesterday after being outside! This is a new recipe I haven't tried before, so I couldn't resist! I think I like it better than the old one! I hate to bore you with another recipe but here goes!

LEMON BARS
CRUST:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter or oleo(we used butter, no trans fat)

Combine flour and sugar in a bowl and cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press lightly on to the bottom and halfway up the sides of an ungreased 9x13 pan!
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

FILLING:
1-14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk(we used fat free)
4 eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 drops yellow food coloring(this is optional, we didn't use)
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
powdered sugar for sprinkling

Beat milk and eggs in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in lemon juice, flour, baking powder, salt and food coloring just until blended. Fold in grated lemon peel.
Pour over hot crust, bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown.
Let cool and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes 48 bars!

Sorry the picture is fuzzy! Could be the camera or it could be me! These are two punch needle projects that I have been trying to finish! I worked on them while watching movies! I love the pink and green! I am new to punch needle so I am going to have to learn how to frame or finish them out! The heart goes in my kitchen!

We have art tomorrow and then we get to spend some time with the baby! We can't wait!
She might love her Grandpa Dale a lot but she loves her Great(I know, great, ugh)Aunt Vickie,
BEST!!!!! I am making her dress for the wedding! I can't wait to get it done and see her in it!
'Cause you know she will be the most beautiful baby ever!!!!!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!

Vickie

Just Wondering.........Pumpkin Cake

I was just wondering early this morning how you all feel about a coffin in your neighbors' front yard? We decorate for Halloween and Fall but not with a coffin, but our neighbors have put a coffin in their front yard for the last 7 years. The first 2 or 3 years they used a baby coffin, which was just unbearable for me to look at or think about. The last 3 or 4 years they have used this great big one. One year it stayed there til almost Thanksgiving. I know that it is Halloween and it is their yard, but it just creeps me out. Leave me a comment and let me know how you all feel about a "coffin in your neighbors' yard".

On to more pleasant things! I baked this wonderful pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing on Sunday! My mom gave me the recipe a long time ago! Everyone loves it! If you have never tried it, you should!

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

CAKE:
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 small can pumpkin
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon

ICING
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 pound box powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
pecans for top(optional)
Dump the cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer until thoroughly
blended. Pour batter into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool. Combine icing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Beat with mixer until smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle with nuts if you want!
Enjoy!

One more pleasant thing! Cottonspice is sponsoring Quilt Dash! It sounds like so much fun!
Sign up at Quilt Dash!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing, I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

A Recipe and Homemade Halloween & Fall Stuff!

Please notice the new banner by Lilli! Isn't that the sweetest squirrel?!!!!

This is a really cute book! Lots of funny stuff!!! My recipe comes from this book! Aunt Barb gave it to me 16 years ago! Notice the title....THE COMPLEAT I HATE TO COOK BOOK! On the inside she wrote to a person who doesn't hate to cook! I love to cook and bake!! Almost everyone on my mom's side loves to cook! My brother is a great cook! My Grandma Lovell(my dad's mom) was a great cook, too! Her after church Sunday Lunches were great!!! Enough! Here is my recipe that I should have posted yesterday! Sorry! This is for the Recipe Swap that Randi is gracious enough to host!
I fix this recipe just for me because nobody else likes it, but I love it! I fix this one day and eat them for lunch the next day! They are so good the first day, but they are even better the second day!!! I usually eat this with hot buttery French bread or corn muffins! Sorry I don't have a picture!
HOMEBODY BEANS
2 cans kidney beans(undrained)
3 big fresh sliced tomatoes or 2 cans sliced tomatoes(this is good either way)
2 onions, diced
1/2 pound lean bacon, cut in half

Put the first three ingredients in a casserole dish (you can layer this, but I just dump it in!),
then bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, uncovered, then stir. After stirring add half the bacon and bake for another 2 hours, stir again, making sure you get the bacon stirred down in the beans, then add the other half of bacon. Bake another 2 hours and you are done! That is why these are called HOMEBODY BEANS, you have to be home to stir!! Yummy!!!

Just for fun!
I made the BOO word last year! I made the witch about...I can't remember when I made it, but I gave quite a few for gifts, they are out of paper and wood!!! Love it!

Then I made the this runner and one similar for my mom about 6 years ago! I have 2 snowman runners almost done(almost done for about 6 years!!!)I will get them done this year! These patterns are from Farmyard Creations!

That's all for today! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! BSU Art starts for Lilli tomorrow!!!(my chance to get some WIP'S done!!!)YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!! Two whole hours to do what I want!!!!

Wherever you are whatever you are doing, I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!!!!
Vickie

My Cupcake Swap Stuff and Zucchini Bread

I just love getting packages in the mail, don't you? Well, I will have to say this package was a great on! So I wanted to share it with you and also I wanted to share a recipe for zucchini bread today, not because they go together just because they are both wonderful and very comforting!


I joined the cupcake swap that Sharon was having and this is what Linda my partner sent to me!
Linda is from Monza, Italy! She really sent a wonderful package! I loved everything in it! Just look at it all! Sprinkles, cupcake candles, cupcake papers, a decorator bag with tips and chocolate bits all in time for Gayle and Lilli's birthday party! Lilli had so much fun picking her favorite cupcake candle! Their party is not for a while, but it never hurts to be ready!
She also sent an apron, 2 oven mitts, and a pot holder all in shades of green! One of my very favorite colors! I love the daily journal that she sent! It is so cute! She also sent a book about her city! We are going to incorporate it into our homeschool classes! Can't wait!

My most favorite gift of all is the cake carrier she made! I love it! A true gift from her heart and hands! Those are always the best! It is absolutely great! The workmanship is beautiful!
Thank you Linda from the bottom of my heart for everything that you sent! I can only hope mine to you is as good as yours to me!

All I can say is I let this zucchini stay on toooo long! Oh my! We have had so many that it is unbelievable! We pick some everyday! We love it though, so that is okay!

This is one of our favorite recipes for zucchini! Yum!
Check out the The Recipe Box Swap, where tons of great recipes can be found!
ZUCCHINI BREAD
Cream together:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add to the above:
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 1/2 cups nuts
1 cup crushed pineapple(drained)

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour
Makes several small loaves!

Hope you all have a great Sunday! The weather here is wonderful! The skies are blue with those big pillowy clouds and it's almost chilly!YAY!!!!

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

An evening with Hannah/Miley,Lilli, and Gayle

An evening with Hannah/Miley, Lilli and Gayle and what an evening it was!
I have to tell you the only thing we heard around this house all week was Miley uh Hannah! I am not sure who is who or what is what!LOL!!! So I was not exactly that excited about this concert! Anyway, all I knew was tonight was the big concert! Yes, we had to even wear 3-D glasses! Will my eyes ever be the same?!LOL! Good thing they tell you when to wear them and when not to!! We had a blast! Gayle laughed!YAY!! It's always a good sign when Gayle laughs at what we watch! Lilli was just so thrilled! She, of course, knew all the words to the songs! So she sang along and tell me when to do the right thing with my glasses in case I would forget! Thank goodness!!! I need all the help I can get! So even though I was not as excited all week about this concert as Lilli, I will have to say it was fun! So thank you, Lilli, for wanting to share your evening with Hannah/Miley with me!!! I had a great time with you and Gayle!


We had to have our energy for the concert so we fixed one of our favorites! SOUTHWESTERN
CHICKEN SALAD! YUM!!!! It is so simple to make! Really you can put anything on top of your fried tortilla! I always fry the whole package of tortillas and we can have a salad another day!
Then I put lettuce on top of the shell. I take a mixture of cooked shredded chicken breast, corn, black beans, onions and green peppers that have been cooked with as much taco seasoning as you like and layer that on top of the lettuce. I top it off with salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese! It is wonderful!

This was our dessert! We had left over fried tortilla shells so Lilli took cherry pie filling and piled on top of the shell and smothered it with cool whip and a cherry on top! YUM!!!!

This is Lilli watching the concert!

Goodnight every one!
Vickie

Just Because!

We fixed Cherry Delight the other night just because! We didn't have company, we didn't have anything planned for dessert, so we just decided we wanted Cherry Delight! We love it! It feels so springy(it is spring, isn't it?) for some reason! It isn't heavy or really really fattening so we went for it! It is very simple to fix and it's so yummy!
Cherry Delight
(our version)
1 reduced fat graham cracker crust
1 8oz. light cream cheese, room tempature
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. reduced fat milk
1 can light cherry pie filling
1 8oz. container of light cool whip
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk until smooth. Pour into the bottom of the crust.
Spread pie filling(you can keep out a little for the top) on top of cream cheese mixture and then spread the cool whip on top of the pie filling and garnish with reserved pie filling!
Easy as 1,2,3!!!
Today seems to be laundry day for me so I gotta get it done!!!
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope you have a wonderfully happy day!
Vickie

PS....In case you didn't notice Lilli changed my blog! It was a surprise! I like it! It's springy, don't you think!! Besides I was getting really tired of that green! I really like green, but I really like pink and green together!!! I could never have changed it! I am just not too technical!!!! She has to teach me a lot of things on this computer!!!!!

Sugar Cream Cake! Another cozy comfort!

First you start with 1 stick of butter or oleo, one egg, beaten, and 1 box yellow cake mix!
Stir until cake is completely moistened.

Pat mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan!

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened, 2 eggs beaten, 1 lb. box powdered sugar, 1 tsp.vanilla,
2 Tbsp. flour.

In large bowl, combine eggs, cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour and vanilla. Beat on high until
batter is smooth. Pour over pressed cake mixture. Bake at 350 for 3o minutes. If using glass, bake at 325.

This is what you get!!! It is oh so heavenly!!!! Very sinful! We live in Winchester, the home of Wick's sugar cream pie, which was Grandpa Willie's favorite, but he also love this cake! I actually love it better than the pie, because I don't like the pie crust they use!!! Anyway, any time you need some lovin' from the oven, you should really try this! You will love it, I promise!!!
This recipe comes from my Aunt Trudie! Her and Uncle Jim bake and cook all of the time!!!