Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow!

From what I've heard, there's been some snow up around my family.  Here, however, well, this is the snow that I've seen. 

Yep, not much at all, but for now, I'm ok with that.  Snow was a ton of fun when I was a kid.  One of my favorite memories was the time it snowed a lot, so much that even though it grew warm outside, there were still piles of snow.  So, we played outside, in the snow, with just jeans and long sleeves on.

Growing up another fun thing was when, with the forecast of heavy snow, Mom would put out an empty ice cream bucket.  The snow would collect and soon enough we would have just enough for some snow ice cream!

To make your own, mix together 1/2 Cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, and 1 tsp of vanilla.  When this is mixed together, add the snow until it is the consistency of sherbert.  Eat it quick before it melts, or put a little into the freezer to enjoy just a bit later. 

Glammed Up Grapes

Even though I'm not a big fan of fruits, although a college roommate did help me to see their value, I have always loved grapes.  From the time I was about four or five and ate the grapes off of my Grandparents' grape vines, to my Grandma Smith having them on hand for us so often, to even now, my love for grapes has not diminished.  This year, my grandma mentioned that she was bringing grape salad for Thanksgiving.  "What's this?" I wondered.  I vaguely remembered the dish, and what I remembered was that I loved it, but it had been a year since I had eaten it. 

Grandma brought the dish, and my memories were proved correct.  It was great!  I would tell you how much of it I ate, but you probably wouldn't believe me.  The great thing is that, it's so easy to make!

Blend together a package of cream cheese, a container of cool whip, a 1/4 cup of sugar and a smidge of vanilla.  Blend until the mixture is completely smooth.  This may take a little bit, but you don't want any chunkies in your salad.

When everything is blended nicely, fold in the washed grapes.

 

 

Make sure that they are well covered.  Eat it then, or stick it in the fridge to chill. Either way, enjoy!

Christmas Time Is Here...

November has come and gone, and that means several things.

1.  The end of the year is upon us!

2. My NANOWRIMO competition is over!

3. Christmas time is here!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, as it is for many.  I love the decorations, the music, the family time, and the food!

Over the next couple of weeks be watching for some delicious holiday treats that are great to share with family and friends.  I love making Christmas candy and treats, don't you?

Even in the midst of writing a novel, I spent a little bit of time cooking.  I said a little, mind you.  As my husband and I strolled down the grocery aisles one day, we discovered something.  Pudding is pretty cheap!  I'm not usually a sweets person, but the holiday season does allow me to enjoy some more of the sweet treats.  We grabbed about four different flavors of pudding, but what were we to do with them then?  One of the flavors was cheesecake.  (It sounded good at the time.)  So, I decided to try to make a pie out of it.

Using some of my graham crackers, I made a crust, just like I had for my cheesecake cookies.  You take one cup of smashed graham crackers, 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and one stick of butter (melted).  Mix them together and then spread the crust in the bottom of the pan.

Next, mix the pudding, but make sure to use the pie instructions on the box, not the pudding instructions.

 

Add the pudding to the pie crust and chill, as the directions instruct.

Finally, slice, add cool whip, and enjoy!

 

Secret Sauce

What's better than some chicken, pasta, and a secret sauce?  One evening I wanted to make some chicken pasta, but I didn't have the sauce I needed.  Instead I decided to make my own sauce.  It's pretty easy, and something different. 

First cut boneless, skinless, chicken breast into medium to large size chunks.  Throw them in a skillet with two tablespoons of margarine, and cook until the chicken is cooked through. 

 

Add some salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.  While the chicken is cooking, cook a box of pasta, I used bow tie. Next start on the sauce.

Take a can of cream of chicken and add about 20 cubes of velveeta, and a little milk.

 
 

Keep the sauce on low, stirring so that the cheese won't stick.  Add a little parsley.  When the cheese is melted and the sauce is hot, it's ready!

 

Place the chicken on top of the pasta and cover with the sauce.  Eat and enjoy!

Halloween

Halloween, although a ways back now, was a fun evening.  The night was spent eating all kinds of delicious food.  Frozen pizza, chips and dip, candy corn... What?  Frozen food is just as good as homemade sometimes.  We ended with dessert.  Here it is. 

 

Pepsi, ice cream, cool-whip, and candy corn.  Yummy!

Gone, But Not Forgotten

It has been awhile since I've shared with you, but don't think that just because I've been gone, I've forgotten.  Remember I said that something big was happening in November.  Don't forget to check it out here.  Even though this task is daunting, I am still cooking!  More recipes will be coming soon, including my own pasta sauce.  Until then, I hope you enjoy my other blog!

The First Year

Although this post really has nothing to do with the regular topics on this blog, it's an important thing in my life right now, so I thought I would share...

On November 2, it started with a phone call, a rush to the hospital, tears, grief, and a funeral. Work, friends, pain, love, the first Thanksgiving, the first Christmas, a new year, moving,and more work, followed. The first Father's day, the first wedding, the first anniversary...

Before I knew it, it had been a year, an incredibly long, fast one. People say that words cannot express, and that's so true. That morning a year ago is so incredibly clear in my memory, yet it was only the beginning. I could sit here all day, trying to find the words to say, but what I keep thinking about are the words "Por Siempre Dios es fiel." Forever God is faithful. Through the first year, He has been faithful. He will be through the second and the third and forever.

You may remember that last year, on November 1st, I began a novel. Here is my dedication from that novel. It sums is up best.

When I started writing this novel, it was for a contest, one that would last a month. Each day, I would have to write almost two-thousand words to complete my goal. On the first day I reached my goal. On the second day, my grandpa died. My world was rocked at the loss of Grandpa Donnie. Never had I felt the grief and pain or dealt with the questions that I did at that time. For six days I wrote nothing. I couldn’t. My grandpa was not just a good grandpa, but he was an amazing person, one that was faithful in serving God. He was a great example in his life, and in his death of how to trust in God.

I decided to give up the contest and the novel. There was no way I could catch up. I was 12,000 words behind my goal, but my now husband encouraged me, telling me that I could do it. He and Grandpa are the reasons I kept writing. I knew that Grandpa would have encouraged me in the same way, for he wouldn’t have wanted me to give up on something, especially something that I loved. Most importantly, the novel became something that God called me to finish. Grandpa was obedient and faithful to God, and he would want me to be the same.

So, I dedicate this book to Grandpa Donnie. Even though I still love and miss him so much, I could never wish him back, because he’s home.