New Recipe Challenge Week 8

Well, I managed to make it in on time for the final week of the New Recipe Challenge hosted by Feminine Farmgirl. Yay me! :)

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches & KFC Knock-off Coleslaw

It was a down home dinner and we went all out with the "fine" china! LOL

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast per 2 people (I used 4 for the 6 of us & there was plenty of leftovers)1/4 to 1/3 bottle of your fave bbq sauce

Use enough bbq sauce to coat your chicken breasts well and toss them in the slow cooker for about 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Unless of course you have a crockpot like mine where the low is more like keep warm and the high is boiling. If so, adjust accordingly. When the chicken is cooked through, remove and place on cutting board. Mine had quite a bit of cooking juice and some fat. I skimmed off as much fat as possible, then drained all but about 1-2 cups of liquid. Using two forks, shred the chicken, then add it back into the liquid in the crockpot. Add more bbq sauce to taste, and stir 'er up. Serve right away or leave on the warm setting until you're ready to eat, on your choice of bread. We used some kaiser rolls that were on sale this week.

Verdict: Oh, I hate to say it, but the trend continues. I really liked it. The hubs thought it was dry. Remember, he doesn't like chicken much, although it was a tad bit dry, I guess. The kids were either lukewarm about it or refused to eat. Again. Oh, well.

KFC Knock-off Coleslaw

There's really only one coleslaw that I really love, and that's KFC's. I don't eat it very often because I don't really like fried chicken, so.... Anyway, I bought this set of fun cookbooks a long time ago called Top Secret Recipes. I hardly ever use them, just like all the other cookbooks that I collect. Don't really know why. At any rate, here is the top secret recipe for KFC Coleslaw:



8 cups very finely chopped cabbage (1 head) (I used a bag of coleslaw mix, next time I will use 2 to accomodate the sauce)

1/4 cup shredded carrot ( 1 medium carrot) (mine was in the coleslaw mix)

2 tbsp. minced onion

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. buttermilk (I substituted 1/4 tbsp. lemon juice mixed with enough milk to make 1/4 c. then let it sit 5 min. before using)

1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar

2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Be sure that the cabbage, carrots, and onion are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice kernels).

2. Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon juice, and beat until smooth.

3. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion. Mix well.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Verdict: Absolutely tastes like KFC coleslaw, and I didn't really care if the fam liked it or not because then there was more for me! :)

Thanks again to Jenna from Feminine Farmgirl for hosting the New Recipe Challenge. I've enjoyed seeing what other people have made and plan on trying out a few in the future!

Homemaking Binder

Organization is a word that I love and loathe all at the same time. I love organized spaces and things. It makes my heart happy! I even really enjoy organizing things. Other people's things mostly. That's where the loathing comes in. It's really hard to organize things that I have a personal attatchment to. Therefore, I always have too many things and nowhere to put them, thus always disorganized. *sigh*

Now, on to the good stuff! In addition to ordering my meal plans, I've been working on getting my homemaking binder back in working order.

photo courtesy of I heart Organizing

What's a homemaking binder, you may ask? Well, simply put, it's a place to keep your whole little world organized. At least that's the goal. I've had a homemaking binder, or a "flight plan" as we call it in our house thanks to daddy's aviation job, for at least 7 years back when I discovered FlyLady. I tried following her plan, but it didn't really work for me because it was HER plan, not mine. That and I really don't like housework! :) However, she has some really great info for homemaking binders, or control journals as she calls them. Whatever name works for you, I guess.

If I haven't already professed my love for A Proverbs Wife, let me do so now. This site is AWESOME for helping you to be a better Christian wife. Saidah lives her life by following the guidelines in Proverbs 31 and encourages others to do the same. She has a wealth of links and ideas for your binder, including this video tour of her binder.

This month over on I heart Organizing, Jen is focusing on homemaking binders. This woman is super organized, hence the blog title, and loves making super cute charts and lists. Be sure to go snag all the ones that you need while they're still free. I don't know if she will transfer these to her etsy shop or keep them free, so go now just in case. You can find them all on the sidebar.

Do you use a homemaking binder? What does yours look like? If not, what do you do to keep track of everything? Let me know what you do to make your life a bit more organized! As I get parts of mine done, I will post pictures. Happy Binder Making & Organizing!

New Recipe Challenge Weeks 5, 6 & 7

Week 5 - Ummm, I totally forgot about making a new recipe. Just totally forgot.

Week 6 - Thought about a new recipe. I really did. But it never made it past my thoughts. I probably forgot about it again after my stove caught on fire. Yup. Fire. Flames. Smoke. It was a good home economics lesson though, because my kids wanted to know why I used salt on our grease fire instead of water. Gotta love those spontaneous teaching moments....and the adorable little guy who decided to climb up and play in the leftover bacon grease!

Week 7 - Da-da-da-dum!!! I made a new recipe! Hooray! :) This is really only due to trying to get back on track with meal planning. Well, planning and organizing in general. I'm an organizational mess right now. I'll talk about what I'm doing to fix that in another post. Here's the quick version: I ended up on Make 5 Dinners in One Hour because she is sponsoring I heart Organizing this month & giving a discount for her meal planning service. Yay! Now, I've looked at many meal planning services. Even tried their free trials, but always ended up thinking I could just do better for cheaper. I don't think I'm going to do any better or cheaper than Make 5 dinners in One Hour. You get 5 meal plans each week with a complete grocery list & instructions for prepping ahead, so you only have to spend 1 hour each week preparing meals, and a few minutes each day finishing them up. It sounds fun, so I've joined! I haven't started it yet, but plan to after my next shopping trip. This week's recipe though, comes straight from her blog, where I spent a good deal of time just browsing around. (BTW, her ideas for prepping lunches is fantastic!) So, without further ado, I bring you:

Easy Spinach Quiche

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of Make 5 Dinners in One Hour

My notes are in (purple)

This is the "make ahead" version. Makes 2.

Get out your blender for this one...(seriously, get your blender out)

1/2 C. frozen chopped onion

6 eggs

1 C. milk

1/2 C. biscuit/pancake mix

salt & pepper

Blend first 4 ingredients in blender until well blended and add salt & pepper to taste.

1 C. frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry (add more if you like)

1 package real bacon bits (I used real bacon that we had leftover, about 8 slices)

1 C. shredded Swiss cheese

2 frozen pie crusts (regular not deep dish)

Add spinach and pulse to mix. Place blender pitcher in refrigerator until ready to use. Use within 2 days.

Pour equal amounts (eye ball it) of bacon bits and cheese into pie crusts. I would normally have alot more bacon bits but I forgot them at the store and I had a small package leftover from another recipe. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

Place crusts on large cookie sheet to make transporting easier. Pour egg mixture equally into pie crusts over bacon and cheese. Yes, that is cheddar cheese you see there. I forgot the Swiss cheese too.

Most of these recipes are easily adaptable to what you have on hand. Just think of the possibilities. Bacon/cheddar, ham/cheese, broccoli/feta, mushroom/bacon/blue cheese.....

Bake in 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are set.

The Verdict: I love quiche. I love spinach. I love bacon. There was really no way I wasn't going to like this. It was delicious. Plus it made Sunday morning breakfast so easy. I served it with cinnamon raisin bread, so all I really had to do was butter the toast. I had time to get ready! :) My family on the other hand, wasn't as thrilled. (this seems to be a theme, doesn't it?) One child liked it, two thought it was okay, and one totally refused to eat. Kingbeaz liked it, but he's not crazy about spinach (unless it's my spinach dip). If your family likes spinach, go for it. Otherwise save it for a potluck or shower or something, because it is really good.

This post is linked to Feminine Farmgirl for the New Recipe Challenge. Come join us!

Spelling City

Have you heard of Spelling City? Do you use it? We've been using Spelling City for a few years now. It's totally free and a great way for the kids to practice their spelling words. They can play all sorts of fun spelling and vocabulary words, then take a test. When my kids were in public school I just entered the lists that they brought home. Now I use the lists from our current curriculums. When they can pass all the words on Spelling City, then they can go take their curriculum test. My kids LOVE it!

You can use other people's lists as well. So if you use Switched-On Schoolhouse Language Arts 300 or 400, I have most of lists that we've already accomplished. If you use Heart of Dakota's Bigger Hearts for His Glory, I have Units 1-7. If you want to use my lists, just search under "parent" for Jenny Beasley.

Please note that not all words and phrases are currently recognized by Spelling City. This hasn't been much of a problem for us though. Go check it out! If this has been useful to you, stop back by and let me know! :)

Spring is Coming!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you know that the first day of Spring is March 20th??? It's hard to imagine with snow piled up everywhere! Nonetheless, spring is coming so I might as well look forward to it. When we moved we didn't have room for our outdoor things, so they all got left behind. :(

Here we have a bunch of trees so look what I found at Pier 1 to hang off them!

DjjDid ,,  

Outdoor Swingasan Chair

Holy cow, doesn't that look fun?? I'd be fighting the kids for it all the time, and I'd have to let the hubs sit in it occasionally, but it would be worth it. Just swinging in the shade watchin' the kiddos play. *sigh*

How about this? It certainly says "welcome". And it's only $16.95! Wow!

Damask Print Doormat

And are these not the most adorable chip and dip platters ever?? Great for indoor or outdoor entertaining!

 Chip and Dip Platters

They have a ton of really cute indoor/outdoor stuff, but I had to stop myself from getting carried away! What are you spring must-haves from Pier 1?

While you are there, sign up for their Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter to get a special offer. Oh, and they have something called  Pier 1 Tweetups for those of you located in certain areas (Dallas March 22, Atlanta April 5, NYC April 20) to get together. 

Leave a comment to let me know what you found to get your house and yard ready for spring!

Kellog's Coupons

Do you go through cereal like we do? 3-4 boxes a week? Please tell me you do! Okay, well even if you don't here are some Kellog's coupons for that occasional cereal fix. LOL

Easter Sewing Craft!

Ooooh! Look at these adorable bunny bean bags!

These are from a guest post on 2 little hooligans from Me Sew Crazy. I forsee these being in my kid's Easter baskets. I'm sure I've got some scraps that will work great for this. Now I just need to force myself to go into the dungeon (because I still haven't figured out to make it any better) and work!

Have seen any other great crafts lately?