Lauren's Tuna Noodle Bake

Lauren's Tuna Noodle Bake

2 cans of tuna (any kind of tuna you like:)
6 hands full of egg noodles (est. 16 oz. bag but we were making from a bulk stash)
Cream of mushroom soup (any “cream of” soup will do)
½ can of water
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Green peas (we used frozen)
Dill & poppyseeds
Toasted bread crumbs (we toasted two pieces of whole grain bread, broke in pieces and whirred in the food processor)
Melted butter

Cook noodles according to directions on packages. Drain. Mix the soup and water until not as lumpy and add noodles, cheese, (she used a left over chunk of cheese and just stirred the broken pieces on in) green peas, a sprinkle of dill and a sprinkle of poppy seeds. Cover with shredded cheese (we used maybe a cup … it was a small stash from the fridge) and sprinkle the bread crumbs all over top. Drizzle melted butter around the top of the crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

No Bake Cookies

"I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find."
James Beard

Lauren and I wanted something sweet today but we didn't want to spend a lot of time or make a lot of mess. She was putting together a tuna casserole for dinner and I was batch cooking chicken. We remembered how good these no bake cookies were when her friend spent the night (thanks for the idea, Raven!) so we had a batch scooped into rows on the counter in minutes!

No Bake Cookies V

Rated: 5 out of 5 by 346 members

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Yields: 36 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.
2. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/7/2008

A Clean & Orderly Kitchen

I have been working all day on my kitchen. So much work goes on in that room and it is the first area you walk into upon entering our home. It was due for a mighty make over!

My 14 year old daughter and I started in the morning and worked in sections. We would take everything off of one set of shelves, vacuum and give a good scrub and replace only the items we wanted kept there.

We kept the dishwasher running and I hand washed dishes throughout the day. There were jars, containers , and much more in need of a good washing.

We tackled two sets of white shelves (hand made by my husband) and two sets of stainless steel shelves he anchored in place a few years ago. After those, we rolled up our sleeves and we aimed for the pots and pan bar. My husband designed and built a heavy wooden beam right under the ceiling between our kitchen and dining room. He added rows of silver hooks and I have a place for two rolling pins on the front, my cast iron collection hangs all on the left and the stainless steel pots & pans are on the right. ALL of these came down piece by piece. I washed and seasoned each cast iron piece and made sure the others were clean as well. My teen girl used cleaner to get what she could clean and everything went back up. We may have to get aggressive where some stains remain after a pressure cooker shot hot grease all over it some time ago. We cleaned it immediately when it happened and I’ve tried to scrub it clean since but it just hit with such force… all of it hasn’t been easy to remove.

Cabinets, counters, and drawers all followed and every appliance was polished cleaned and rearranged. It is so nice to have spices all in one place again, baking supplies together, measuring cups and spoons nestled like babies in blankets!

Storage containers are all wiped down, every piece has a place and there is a place for everything… well, almost. There is still that junk drawer… but I won’t let that steal my joy.

I’m ready for the coming menu now and look forward to putting my now clean kitchen to use in serving those the Lord has blessed me to serve.

May His presence fill this constant used Kitchen and the humble home it lives in.

Hopeful Farm

Dearest Family & Friends,

A very precious online friend of mine sent something to me I am very, very excited and touched to share.
The place is Hopeful Farm and it is a non-profit balm serving families with special needs children.

I went to the site and following interview and it brings tears as I am typing. Blessing!

In the whole time I’ve been online, I’ve never (that I can recall anyway) sent anything like this. I cannot wait to get this email, blog post, and social network message out to reach as many hearts as possible!

I also cannot wait (and I am saying this from the depths of my heart) to donate to this beautiful place and pray God will bless me to continue.

It feels as though I’m offering you a gift with the links below and well, I guess I am.

Here it is: {please, please consider sharing this with others}

Hopeful Farm, a Kentucky based non-profit that ministers to families impacted by special needs. I've attached some email announcements that you can use or use parts of if you feel led to participate.

The benefit is here: www.hopefulfarmfoundation.org/benefit.html and there is an interview with my daughter and I at www.hopefulfarmfoundation.org/interview.html

Love, Sandy

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms

{I had my grandbabies today so I made these for a treat. They loved these! My mom gave me the recipe from a magazine and the Hershey's Kisses. I found the exact same one on the Hershey's site so I am adding it instead of hand typing. I've included that link below the recipe.}

Ingredients:
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Instructions:1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. 2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/

Down the Path Dining

"Once fire was discovered, the instinct for improvement made men bring food to it. First to dry it, then to put it on the coals to cook." Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

Granna, Grandpa, and Mamaw live a foot beaten path away from our home.
We have lived in our home for over 14 years separated from my in-loves by some trees and this cozy path. Our oldest three sons paved it themselves… bare footed, in tennis shoes, cowboy boots, and with whatever dog was running with them at the time.

They are all three living on their own now. Hard to believe they have their own yards, own places to go… own paths back home.
They still come home and when they do, right through that path to Granna’s they go; for her Christmas breakfasts, Italian dinner welcome home dinners, and much more.

Granna & Grandpa lived in an old, big, white house with a long porch and heavy paned windows for many years. When it was time to tear down the old place, Granna planned and prepared every detail herself. She wanted happy color schemes and every room has one to go with the open, beachy, cottagy feel with lots of windows, French glass doors, and glass doors for each bedroom.

She wanted open space from the kitchen, through the dining and living room and for that to expand into the front porch and back decks. She wanted family to feel comfortable and for every visit to be a celebration. In the few years she has had this new home… it has been what she worked towards and more.

One thing Granna loves to do is have meals out on the back deck. She loves setting the table up, having white lights adorning anything they can, candles flickering all along the deck rails and kerosene lamps on the tables.
She has a small grill and it is fast becoming a dear friend. We can smell the smoke dancing through the air night after night now. Most nights, she calls down to see if we want to join them so we do.

Grandpa comes out with his walker or wheel chair and Mama comes out in hers. Everyone talks, laughs, and eats together in the soft breezes by surrounding trees. Sometimes we eat starlit dinners with twinkling lights all throughout the sky and a moon’s glow to get home by.

Lately, we’ve been having hamburgers, potato salad, and/or baked beans, and SMORES. Delicious, sticky, chocolatey smores.

I usually can't wait for the cold weather but this year... I am enjoying the pleasant temperatures as we walk to and from Granna's on our humble little path...

Thursday Night Dinner 10.02.08

I’m sharing the dinner I had planned for last night. We got a last minute invite to walk through the foot beaten pathway to Granna’s. She had her little grill smoking with some hamburgers on the back deck and even if we could have resisted those… the smores to follow sealed the deal;)

Last night’s dinner plans carried over into this evening’s and they were a big hit for two families! Our oldest son, his wife and our two grand littles sat around the table with us. Pops played outside with bit one and bit two while we had micro bit crawling all over the floor inside.
After eating, we talked and looked over some things online before watching the Biden/Palin debate. Isn’t everything more pleasant when shared with loved ones?

Here was our simple meal. One main and no sides! We did drink down a pot of coffee hot from the vacuum pot after the meal was eaten!

Barbecued Hamburgers

Note right from the cookbook:
These spicy sandwiches are great favorites with men at country sales.

3 T. shortening
3 lbs. ground beef
3 large onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. salt
1 ½ T. black pepper
½ tsp. ground red pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. flour
1 ¼ c. canned tomatoes (I used one regular 14 or so ounce can)
¾ c. Ketchup

· Melt shortening in heavy skillet. Combine ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook in skillet until lightly browned.
· Add seasonings. Stir in flour. Add tomatoes and ketchup, mixing well.
· Simmer 15-20 minutes until thickened. Spoon between split buns to make hot sandwiches.

Makes 20 servings.

Taken from: {Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook}

The big B had his requested breakfast again this morning: Scrambled cheese eggs and two pieces of toast. A glass of fresh water to wash it all down!

For lunch, we had tortillas with some heated meat from a previous cooking session, seasoned with taco seasoning. A bit of melted cheese over that and a generous spread of homemade hummus on the hot tortilla and that was all of that meal.