Christmas Goodies

I am having a girl scout Christmas party on Saturday and thought I'd share with you all the goodies I plan to make!

First the Appetizers! I am making 3 different kinds of rolled crescents

Pesto Pinwheels

1 can of crescent rolls
3-4 tsp basil pesto (homemade or in jar)

Preheat oven to 350. On a baking sheet lay out your crescent sheet and rub your pesto on top and spread it out. Roll crescent roll starting at short side to short side. Cut into slices and place on baking sheet to bake for about 10 mins or til crescents are lightly brown.


Cream cheese and Crabmeat Pinwheels

2 oz cream cheese softened
1 tsp chopped chives (u may use dried, fresh or even by the cream cheese with chives already in it)
3 oz crabmeat chopped
1 can crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. On a baking sheet lay out your crescent sheet. In a bowl mix together rest of ingredients and spread over crescent roll and cut into pinwheels. Bake in oven for about 10 mins or til golden brown

Cream cheese and Parmesan Pinwheels

2 oz cream cheese
4 tbs parmesan
garlic
salt
1 can crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out crescent on baking sheet. In a bowl mix rest of ingredients together and spread on crescent. Roll and cut into pinwheels. Bake in oven for 10 mins or til golden brown.

Sausage and Cream Cheese


Phyllo Dough
1 tube of Jimmy Dean Sausage
8 oz cream cheese
1 mini muffin tin

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet cook sausage til brown. Drain grease and add in cream cheese. Mix well. Lay out Phyllo Dough and cut into strips 1" inch strips, then into squares. Place in mini muffin tin. Scoop 1 tsp of mixture into dough and bake for 15 mins or til crust is golden brown.

Peanut Butter Fudge

• 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 bag of Reese peanut butter chips
• 1 bag of Nestle chocolate chips
• Vanilla Extract
• 8 inch pan
• 1 small microwave safe bowl
• Wax paper

Instructions:
1. Line 8” pan with wax paper and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter chips, 2/3 cup of condensed milk and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 min. Stir mixture until smooth and spread evenly over wax paper in pan. Put in refrigerator to set.

 3. While peanut butter layer is setting, pour 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips into bowl. Mix in 1/2 t vanilla and remaining sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until smooth and spread over the top of the peanut butter layer.

 4. Put back in refrigerator until set (top will be firm).

 Cut into small squares and serve

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup Peanut Butter

1 egg

1 cup sugar 

extra sugar for rolling 

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl mix together all ingredients and shape into little balls. Roll into some sugar and place on baking sheet. Bake 9 mins or til no longer gooey. Cool for 1 min then take off baking sheet. 

Note: They will continue to cook if you leave them on baking sheet.

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Place an order from this brochure on
 November 26th:

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Thanksgiving

I am actually not in charge of all the food this year so I havent felt as rushed, even tho Ive already made 6 pies and a cake. LOL I hope each and everyone who reads this blog has a very Happy Thanksgiving and that your tummy's are full and sastisfied! 
Now on to the recipes! 

Grandma's Red Velvet Cake- I was watching the Food Network Channel and fell in love with this cake so I had to make it so here is the link to follow if you wanna try.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/grandmas-red-velvet-cake-recipe/index.html

Blender Pecan Pie- This was so easy that I just couldn't pass it up. So here is the link Blender Pecan Pie

Super Easy French Silk Pie-Had to have a type of chocolate pie French Silk Pie  


Ok the rest are my recipes so here they are.

SWEET POTATOES

2 lb Sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
Water to boil the potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup butter 


In a pot boil your potatoes til softened. Let cool, now to show you what I did with them when they finished 


SWEET POTATOES TOPPED WITH MARSHMALLOWS


1 lb cooked potatoes
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp Butter
Big Marshmallows enough to cover the top of bowl

In a baking bowl Place your potatoes, sugar and butter in bowl. Top with Marshmallows and bake at 375 for 10-15 mins or til Marshmallows are golden brown.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 lb Potatoes
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
2 eggs
Pie Crust (frozen or pilsbury)

In a mixing bowl blend all ingredients excluding pie crust til potatoes are creamy. Pour into pie crust and bake at 375 for 30 mins or til filling is set.


Cheesecake

8oz softened cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
graham cracker crust

In a mixing bowl mix all ingredients together excluding crust til creamy and smooth. Pour into pie shell and let cool in fridge atleast an hour before serving. I prefer making it the day before to let the lemon juice work its magic. Lol

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
This is my famous casserole, ppl that do not like broccoli will eat it and the same with rice. Ive never had a bad word on this dish and so now I share with you.

1 lb chicken thighs boiled and deboned and skinned
1 cup of rice
2 cups water
1 bag of broccoli cuts
1 jar of cheese whiz
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
McCormick Season All (season to taste)
shredded cheese 

Boil your rice and water til rice is finished. In a big bowl mix all ingredients  together excluding shredded cheese and pour into Baking casserole dish and and bake at 375 for 30 mins or til cheese is melted.

Free

For anyone who places an order on my site will receive a free lotion and calendar and if you contact me directly with an order you will receive 10% off plus a free calendar. So head on over to www.youravon.com/jessicastinson or email me at scrubbyswife2@yahoo.com or message me on here! Have a great weekend and a blessed Thanksgiving!

Free Lotion

For anyone who places an order via my website today will receive a free lotion. www.youravon.com/jessicastinson

New Avon Campaign

To anyone who places an order via my website today will receive a free 2012 Avon Calendar. So pls take a min and head over to my site and place your order today! www.youravon.com/jessicastinson

Wednesday

I was woke up this morning to my son telling me that my daughter was sick. So it looks like the bug has hit our house. I know a lot of ppl have been dealing with some kind of sickness. It could be that the southern weather just can not make up its mind. One day its in the 50's and the next the 80's. Allergies are all haywire and with it being cotton picking season and we are surrounded by cotton fields its amazing it took us this long to be hit. Lol Anyways I made my husband an awesome breakfast this morning. I got the idea from one of my recipe sites that I use but I can not remember which one. So here is the recipe that I went by. Hope you enjoy. I will also be posting a Thanksgiving Recipe Post soon.

Spinach, Bacon and Eggs

3 slices of bacon
4 eggs
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
4 tbs parmesan
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
salt
pepper

In a skillet fry your bacon til crispy. Place on paper towel, when cool, crumble.  Place your spinach in bacon grease and season with salt and pepper, continue to cook til wilted down. Place in bowl and set aside. Crack eggs in skillet and fry eggs to your liking. Once you flip eggs and they are almost done, place spinach and bacon back in pan around the eggs. Turn off heat.  Top with parmesan and shredded mozzarella and cover with lid. Let sit about 5 mins and then serve.

Simple Easy to Fix Meals

I am gonna give a few recipes that are simple, easy to fix and require no effort. I love these meals for days I dont feel well or am just too busy to spend more than 30 mins in the kitchen and they are effortless and kids love them. If you like these recipes pls let me know in comments and help spread the word about my blog by sharing on your pages. Thanks in advance. 

Chili

1 lb ground beef
2 cans Hormel Chili with or without beans 
salt
pepper
garlic
all purpose seasoning like Sazon
paprika

In a pot brown your meat and drain grease. Add your chili and seasonings and heat to a boil. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and chips if you like. 

Quesadillas

Flour Tortillas 
Your Favorite Type of Shredded Cheese
Butter

In a skillet heat butter on med to med high then place tortilla down and spread cheese thru middle of tortilla and fold tortilla over cheese. Let cook on each side for about 1 min or til golden brown. You can also throw in leftover chicken or steak to add some protein. 

Mushroom Alfredo

8 oz fettuccine noodles
2 jars of alfredo sauce
2 cans mushrooms (drained)
water to boil pasta
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1 tbs olive oil

In a big pot boil your water and add noodles. Cook as directed. In a smaller pot heat oil and add mushrooms. Saute for about 4 mins, add seasonings and sauce. Bring to a boil and let simmer while noodles cook. When noodles are done, drain and place back in pot and add sauce. Mix well. Top with Parmesan cheese if you like.

New Avon Campaign

The New Avon Campaign is Up and Running! If you are in need of great gifts for a low price, look no further! We also have a great new scent Step Into Sexy which is displayed at the top. Great set for only $38!!! That's a $29 savings overall! So head on over to www.youravon.com/jessicastinson today and place your order! For every $30 order I will ship you a  free gift separate from your order!

Also since it is that wonderful time of year I am also making candy baskets. I can make them with homemade candy or I can do store bought types of candy. The Choice is yours!

Scentsy Party

I am having a Scentsy Online Party! They make great gifts and make your house smell OH SO GOOD! If you have never heard of Scentsy they are a smell good wax that you heat up in a electric warmer. They r so much better than candles. Here is the page to look at if you are interested www.nicolemoncada.scentsy.us And she will also do customized baskets for you!

Sorry

Sorry its been so long, I rarely get on my computer lately and my hubby is starting to think I forgot how to operate one. Lol We had a great weekend full of my friends from MS and a halloween party! I will have to post a ton of recipes so I hope you are ready. Hopefully I will have time to do them today during the midst of homeschool and getting ready for Trunk or Treating tonight. I shall return later

Recipes Part 3

Chicken Tenders 

1 lb chicken tenders
2 eggs beaten
salt
garlic
chili garlic hot sauce
cajun seasoning
pepper
1 tsp or more of jalapeno juice
1 cup bread crumbs
oil for frying

In a skillet heat up your oil. In a bowl mix egg and seasonings. Place your bread crumbs in another bowl. Place chicken in bread crumbs then egg mix then bread crumbs again and fry til golden brown. Drain grease from chicken on paper towel and serve.

Shrimp Poboys

1 lb shrimp
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp blackened seasoning
3 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
oil for frying

Peel shrimp and place in a bowl. Add all the seasonings and cover with saran wrap and marinate for an hour to overnight. Heat oil in skillet and in a bowl beat your eggs and place your bread crumbs in another bowl. Batter and fry.
I seasoned my eggs with the marinade juice. You may not want to do this, that is up to you.

Chili

1 lb hamburger meat
2 cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes
2 cans Pinto Beans
1 pack of Chili Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt

In a big pot, brown your meat and drain. Add back to pot and add seasonings, tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 mins. Serve.
You can also double this recipe and after browning your meat and draining the grease, place everything in crock pot and slow cook on low 4-6 hours. Really brings out the flavor on the chili

Avon and Breast Cancer

As you all know October is Breast Cancer Month and we at Avon have items that you can buy that will support and help with research. So pls take a min and head over to www.youravon.com/jessicastinson and make an order so that the net proceeds may benefit someone battling Breast Cancer! Thank you!

Recipes Part 2

Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 tbsp grated orange peel
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl combine cream cheese and shortening and cream well. Add sugar a little at a time blending well after each addition. Add egg 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a small bowl combine your flour, salt and baking powder. Slowly add to egg mixture, alternating with milk. Blend well after each addition. Fold in Orange peel.  Pour into a well greased bundt pan and bake for 55 mins. Take out and let cool 10 mins, take out of pan and poke holes with a toothpick into cake and pour orange juice over top of cake. Let sit about 10 mins to let juices soak then then serve.


Meatballs



1 lb hamburger meat
1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
1 egg
salt
pepper
garlic salt
chili garlic sauce or any other hot sauce

Preheat oven on low broil. Mix meat and seasonings and roll into 2 in balls. Place on a broiler pan and broil for 5 mins on top shelf in oven, and 5 mins on bottom shelf. You can serve alone or with sauce or over pasta.

Recipes

I havent had a chance to really sit down and blog so I have quite a few recipes backed up for you and will share them all on this post!

Pizza Pasta

16 oz Rotini Pasta (we used the colored noodles)
1 pkg Pepperoni
1 lb hamburger meat
2 jars pizza sauce
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
shredded cheese
1 tbs oil
salt
pepper
cajun seasoning
garlic salt

In a skillet saute your onions and bell pepper in oil for about 4 mins, add your hamburger meat and seasonings and brown.  Boil pasta as directed and when finished drain of water.  Drain your meat, place back in skillet and top with 1 jar of pizza sauce and mix well.  In a casserole dish place about half a jar of sauce and spread around til all of bottom of  pan is covered. Pour your noodle over the sauce and top with other half of pasta sauce. Spread a little shredded cheese over the pasta and top with pepperonis. More shredded cheese, then your meat sauce, more pepperonis. Cover with cheese and place in preheated 375 oven and bake 20 mins or til cheese is good and bubbly.

Spicy Ranch Chicken Wings
2 lbs chicken wings or drumettes
2 pks spicy ranch dip seasoning
1 cup italian bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet with aluminum and spray with a non stick spray. In a ziplock bag add your chicken, seasoning and bread crumbs. Shake well and pour out onto baking sheet. Spread chicken out to where they are not on top of one another and place in oven and bake about 20 mins or til juices come out clear when you poke the chicken.

Potatoes and Polish Sausage in a Skillet

1 lb red potatoes cut in cubes
4 tbs water
5 strips of bacon
1 chopped onion
1 lb polish sausage cut into bite size pieces
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs vinegar
2 tbs mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pepper
salt

In a microwaveable bowl place potatoes and water, cover, place in microwave and cook 6-8 mins or til potatoes are softened. In a skillet cook bacon til crisp. Let bacon rest on paper towel. Add your onions and sausage to skillet and saute til onions are tender, about 5 mins. Add potatoes and cook til potatoes and sausage turn a nice golden brown. In a small bowl and your sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and mix. Pour over potatoes and mix well. Serve or you can make this a day ahead and really let the seasonings work into the potatoes. To reheat just place in preheated 350 oven for about
20 mins.

More to come, in next blog, gotta break and feed kids lunch.

Last Nights Dinner

Sundays as we all know are my lazy days. So I took a bunch of chicken breast tenders and threw them in the crock pot with a whole carton of chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic and zataran seasoning. I let that cook on high for about 5 hours. I removed the chicken to cool. And in a bowl, I mixed 2 cups of flour, 1 tbs baking powder, 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup +2 tbs of milk. I let it rest for 10 mins then rolled it out on a flour surface, adding extra flour as needed, cut into long strips and then cut the strips into squares and placed in hot crock pot. I let them cook on low for about 30 mins and then cut up my chicken and added it back to pot. Let it cook maybe 10mins to heat the chicken back up and then served in bowls. This is my lazy version of chicken and dumplings. Lol

Wednesday Dinner a Day Late

Yesterday was extremely busy and I didnt have time to blog. I rearranged the school area and my husband rearranged our room. Today Im working on the living room and getting it ready to be moved around. We are doing all this rearranging bc we are soon getting Dish Network (Happy Anniversary gift to me) and we want to swap our family and living room. And then on to the kids bedroom, that is always a nightmare and a half. Especially the girls rooms. Anyways so that is why I didnt get to type up yesterdays dinner. I made Chicken and Spinach Alfredo. It was so yummy and we have leftovers!!!! Im not much of a leftover person but this I will eat again, it was that good! 

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo

1 lb chicken tenders (cut up)
10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed of liquid) or you may use fresh spinach
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 jar alfredo
1/2 jar basil pesto
16 oz linguine 
salt
pepper
sea salt with garlic
garlic salt 


In a big skillet heat your oil and add your onions, saute for 5 mins, add your chicken and let it cook til no longer pink. In a pot cook your linguine as directed. When the chicken is finished add both of your sauces, your spinach and seasonings and mix well. Bring to a boil then let simmer while your noodles finish cooking. After you drain your noodles, put back in pot and add your sauce. Mix together and serve. May be topped with Parmesan and served with your fav garlic bread!

Monday Dinner

Tonights dinner is a fav around here. Everyone loves it except my son. If you cant tell he is rather picky. We are having Chicken Enchiladas! I came up with this recipe when I went to my best friends house for her bday party and we had mexican food and margaritas. Her sister had made chicken enchiladas and I loved the way they were but I added a few touches to make them mine. Lol So everyone will have yummy chicken enchiladas while my son eats cheese quesadillas. 

Slow Cooked Chicken for Enchiladas
or you can use this over rice or mashed potatoes

1 lb chicken breast or tenders
2 tbs diced jalepenos
2 tbs minced garlic
4 dashes chili garlic hot sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
salt
pepper
garlic salt
greek seasoning
4 oz cream cheese
tortillas
shredded cheese
chives

In a crock pot add everything except the cream cheese, tortillas, shredded cheese and chives and let slow cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. When done, shred chicken with a fork inside crock pot. If still too liquidy drain some of the juice. Add cream cheese and stir til its melted into the chicken and mixed well. Preheat oven to 375 and layer chicken onto tortilla and fold. Place on baking sheet and top with shredded cheese and chives. Bake for 20 mins. Serve with your fav mexican sides or serve alone.

New Avon Campaign

Campaign 21 is now up and running and we have some great deals. Start your Christmas Shopping early and beat the rush with Avon Products. www.youravon.com/jessicastinson

This is the company that puts mascara on lashes and food on tables, that fights wrinkles with one hand and Breast Cancer with the other. That knows the value of a perfect lip, but still opens its mouth and speaks out against Domestic Violence and for women's financial independence. This is the company that not only brings beauty to doors, but also opens them, The company that supports 6 million Representatives in over 100 countries. This is AVON. The company that for 125 years has stood for beauty, innovation, optimism and above all for women.

Avon Parties

I am looking to do some Avon Parties. I can set them up thru my website or if you live in the Escambia County, AL area we can even do home parties. I'm also willing to drive to Baldwin County, AL and some of Escambia County, FL. So if you are interested in hosting a party via online or in your home, pls message me. You will receive free products depending on how many sales you net! 

www.youravon.com/jessicastinson 

Any Way You Want It!

Any Way You Want It!

Pls take a look at this blog my husband posted and leave feedback! He'd really like to hear from others on what you think.

Crazy Morning

My morning started off with no water. Hopefully all my pump needs is to be primed but until we can get someone out here then we are living on gallons of water for our needs. So anyways kids are doing there school work and arguing amongst one another. Yep its one of those kind of days. I made an awesome dinner last night. Crawfish Pasta!!!! I meant to give this recipe to a friend the other day when I was in MS but I was too busy playing with the baby and I forgot. So I will post it here and give her the link.

Crawfish Pasta

1 tbs olive oil
2 celery sticks diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
2 green onions chopped
1 lb crawfish tails (not in season so buy the frozen tails)
salt
pepper
garlic
1 Jar Vodka Sauce
1 Jar alfredo sauce
16 oz Bowtie Pasta

In a skillet heat your oil and add your veggies and saute for 4 mins on med heat. In a pot cook your pasta as directed. Add your crawfish and seasonings to the veggies and stir. Then add your sauces bring to a boil and then simmer while your pasta cooks. Drain pasta and out back in pot and pour crawfish sauce over and mix well. Serve. Goes great with any kind of crusty bread.

AVON GIVEAWAY

Avon Giveaway by House of Collums


Up for grabs this week through Sept. 15th- A HUGE basket full of all kinds of Avon products! Valued at $25. 


Here is what you will get- 

Basket will have Therapeutic Cracked Heel Relief Cream, Antibacterial Mini Hand Gel, Avon 

Care Lip Balm, Silicone Glove Protective Hand Cream, there choice of Spritz and Go Perfume, 

Skin Softener, and Body Powder. Lip Gloss and Nail Polish.

Here's how to enter:

1.  Leave a comment saying that you are a follower of House of Collums through Google  

     Friend Connect (look to the right -----> )

2. Check out Jessica's website and leave a comment about an Avon Product you love or 

    would like to try.


3. Earn a DOUBLE entry by becoming a follower of Jessica's Blog- Mom Interrupted. Recipes, 
    ramblings and more!

You can also head over here to check out Jessica's Avon website. Order from Jessica and she 

will include a

FREE gift with every order!

Winner will be announced on Friday, Sept. 16th. Prize will be mailed be giveaway sponsor to your address.  Posted from http://houseofcollums.blogspot.com/

Just Blogging

Im a little behind on my dinner recipes and such bc my computer was down yesterday for maintenance. We have joined up on playing WoW again. My friend and her husband have a private server (Www.Elemental-Wow.com) and are getting ready to launch this weekend so my husband was making sure my computer was up and ready so that I can play! On to Recipes! Tuesday night we had hamburger helper and anyone that knows me KNOWS I am not a fan of it, but my husband loves it so I make it every once in awhile to satisfy him. I decided to spice it up and make it my own which I will give a recipe of bc I actually enjoyed it. My little 15 month old that I babysit ate 2 whole plates, my 9 year old ate 2 whole plates and my 7 year old ate a plate and my 11 year old almost finished it and for him I was impressed. Lol
Then Wednesday Night I made Teryiaki Pork Loin and Fried Rice. I also baked alot yesterday. I made blueberry muffins, Scones and Donuts! Omg the donuts were so amazing and so easy!!! I'll be making them again tomorrow for breakfast! So here are the recipes in order.

Hamburger Helper My Style

1 lb Beef
1 Box Beef Pasta Hamburger Helper
Milk and Water called for on Box
6 oz Egg Noodles
1/4 cup Sour Cream

Follow directions on box for the Hamburger Helper. In a pot boil your noodles and drain. When the Hamburger helper is done add your noodles and sour cream and mix together. I also added a little bit of salt, pepper and a tiny bit of garlic salt. It came out excellent!

Teryiaki Pork Loin
1 Pkg of Pork Loin cut into slices
Teryiaki Sauce
Soy Sauce

In a skillet layer your pork loin and top with sauces. I used about 10 dashes of Teryiaki and about 4 dashes of Soy Sauce. Cook on each side for about 4 mins each on Med High Heat.

Fried Rice

2 Tbs Veg Oil
1 Onion Diced
3 cups Cooked Rice
1 Stick of Butter
1 Egg Fried and chopped into small pcs
Teryiaki
Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper

In a skillet heat oil and add onions. Saute for 3 mins. Add rice and using a spatula fry. Do not stir too much bc it will become mushy. After about 5 mins add butter and mix into rice. Press Rice down with spatula and then stir around. Add Sauces as much or as little as you like. And then add egg and mix into rice well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

http://www.pillsbury.com/Cooking-Occasions/Doughboy-Dish/Homemade-Doughnuts?WT.dcsvid=MjA5ODE1NTc4NgS2&rvri

I made these donuts from the website above and they were so delicious. I melted choc chips with a little bit of shortening and dipped the donuts in. I also did this with white choc. For the little holes that were left I shook in a bowl with cinnamon and sugar. I plan to make more tomorrow and make a sugar glaze for them.

I got a Joy Cookbook for my bday last year and I have been trying to use it more. This is where I got my recipes for the Scones and Blueberry Muffins.

CLASSIC SCONES

Note: Numbers refer to pages in the cookbook. Many of the recipes can be found online by using our search feature.

8 to 12 scones
Increase the sugar up to 1⁄4 cup for a sweeter scone.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Sift together into a large bowl:
  1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
  2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
  1 tablespoon sugar
  1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Cut in, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, until the size of small peas:
  1⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) cold butter
Beat in a small bowl:
  2 large eggs
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs. Beat in to the reminder:
  1⁄3 cup heavy cream
Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid and combine with a few swift strokes. Handle the dough as little as possible. Turn it out onto a lightly floured board. Pat to 3⁄4 inch thick. To make the classic wedge shape, pat into an 8-inch round and then cut into 8 to 12 wedges or cut into diamond shapes or as for Biscuit Sticks, above. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with the reserved egg and sprinkle with:
  Salt or sugar
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MUFFINS

Note: Numbers refer to pages in the cookbook. Many of the recipes can be found online by using our search feature.

12 muffins
With this recipe, you can create myriad muffins by adding berries, chopped fresh or dried fruit, or nuts. See Additions to Muffins, above. You can substitute up to 1 cup whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour for an equal measure of all purpose flour. Note that the liquid ingredient is your choice, from low-fat milk to cream. The flexible amount of butter or oil allows control of the richness with the following advice: Muffins made to be eaten warm from the oven are perfectly delicious with 1⁄4 cup butter or oil. If muffins must be made hours before they will be consumed, or even the day before, you are wise to use 1⁄2 cup butter or oil.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-muffin pan or line with paper liners.
Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 tablespoon baking powder
  1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  (1⁄4 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg)
Whisk together in another bowl:
  2 large eggs
  1 cup milk or cream
  2⁄3 cup sugar or packed light brown sugar
  1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup (1⁄2 to 1 stick) butter, melted, or
  1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
  1 teaspoon vanilla
Add to the flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix; the batter should not be smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, about 17 minutes (or longer for variations with fruit). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack. Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.

I lowered the sugar to 1/3 cup and added 1 1/2 cup of the frozen blueberries I had stored in freezer. 

AVON GIVEAWAY

http://houseofcollums.blogspot.com/ is doing a Avon Basket giveaway so head on over and check out the details and follow to win a basket filled with goodies!!!

Labor Day

I was woke up at 10am by my phone ringing and my mil telling me we had to get out now there was a Tornado headed our way. So we rushed around grabbed the kids and animals and hog tailed out of here. We go down to her house bc she lives in a Cinder Block House so we sit there for a few hours and watch the storm and the weather channel. We are finally in the clear close to 2pm so we are now trying to figure out what to do about food bc I didnt get a chance to thaw out the food before we left in a hurry. So we come home, I defrost as I go. I get my hubby to help me and he peels the potatoes for me while I get the meat thawed and seasoned and marinated. So while he is peeling, I take chicken drumlettes and marinate them (recipe follows), I pour bbq sauce over the ribs and get them in the oven. I also throw the drumettes in there and while they are cooking I start on the marinade for the potato french fries. Im still trying to figure out another side item bc I do not feel like driving to town in the rain. Hubby finishes the potatoes and I cut them up and put them in the marinade and coat them and put them in oven to cook. And I still have a lot of potatoes so I ask if he will make his really good ranch potatoes. (recipe follows)I dice up the potatoes and get them to boiling.  I marinate the steaks (recipe follows) and set them aside while the chicken, ribs and potato fries cook.  I clean up and when they are done I set the steaks on broil and let them cook and start the mac and cheese and then I add the garlic bread and voila I have thrown lunch/dinner together. LOL It took me about 2 hours in the kitchen but I finally came up with a thrown together meal that tasted good.

Chicken Drumlettes Marinade

2Tbs Lemon Juice
1Tbs Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Salt
Garlic Pepper
Parmesan

Mix together in a bowl and use as a little or as much seasoning as you like. I prolly used 1/2 to 1 tsp of each seasoning. Toss in chicken and marinate for about 15 mins. Lay chicken on tin foil on a bake sheet and sprinkle with more parmesan and let bake at 375 for about 30 mins.


Steak Marinade

1/4 cup A1 or Heinz 57
5 dashes or so of Worsteshire
Garlic Salt
Salt
Pepper
1tsp Minced Garlic

Mix all ingredients together and pour over steaks. Let marinate for about 15 mins or longer and grill, broil or skillet cook your steaks to your liking

Smashed Ranch Potatoes

5 peeled and diced potatoes
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup ranch dressing
salt
pepper
sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Boil your potatoes til soft. Smash with either a pastry cutter or fork. Add your butter, ranch and seasonings and mix well. They will be lumpy so no worries. You may add as little or as much seasoning as you like, taste along the way. If you want more butter and ranch then add it.

These are the potato fries I made, I signed up to follow this blog and I am glad I did bc these turned out awesome!
http://cookingontheweekends.com/2011/08/smoky-chipotle-parmesan-french-fries/

Lazy Sunday!

Sundays are my lazy day, I do as little as possible and hubby is so great and lets me sleep in as late as I like!!! So today I woke up at 11am and so far Ive washed the dishes (cant stand dirty dishes so matter how lazy or sick those get done) and put a roast in the crock pot to cook all day. Will add potatoes and gravy later. But pretty much I will sit around and do practically nothing and enjoy my lazy day. 

Roast! 

1 roast, no bigger than 4 lbs.
1 pk onion soup mix
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1 onion sliced
1 bell pepper sliced
5 dashes or so of Worsteshire
5 dashes hot sauce
1 cup water
1 cube beef bouillon

In crock pot layer meat, onions and seasonings and let cook on low for 6-8 hours! Note instead of water and beef bouillon you can use beef broth also.

Gravy

2 Tbsp Veg Oil
2 Tbsp Flour
Juice from the roast or water

In a skillet heat your oil and add your flour and make a roux, slow pour in juices and using a fork stir constantly making sure the roux and juices mix well together, add in more juice or water til gravy is thick or as thin as you like. Serve over meat and potatoes!

New Avon Campaign

Campaign 20 is now up and running. The picture at the top is a link to my page and to a great product. If you are in need of a product that will help soften your hair and help with every day damage of brushing and styling then look no further. Just try this product out and I promise you will be satisfied and also you will receive a free gift!  Ive been using it for a couple of weeks now and my hair looks much better after trying a straightening perm that did not go so well. LOL So take a look, try it out and we also have a great selection of BUY ONE GET ONE!!!! Who can turn down one of those kind of sales!!! Thanks!!

Saturday

Today we spent the morning and afternoon throughly cleaning house. We even bathed the pets which was just so much fun. Imagine giving a 25 lb 10 yr old cat a bath. Ha thank god she's been declawed. Anyways I figured Id get in my daily blog before my extra child gets here and let you know whats for dinner. Mmm my fav Mushroom and Provolone topped on Hamburgers.

Hamburgers with Mushrooms and Provolone


1lb Hamburger Meat
2 Tbs A1
1 Tbs Minced Garlic
4 or so Dashes of Worstechire
salt
pepper
garlic salt

Mix together form into patties and grill on each side about 10 mins each.

1 can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms sliced
2 dashes worsteshire
salt
pepper
2 tbs olive oil or butter

In a skillet heat your butter or oil and add your mushrooms and saute about 5 mins. Then add your seasonings and worsteshire and shake skillet.

Take hamburger buns and layer with hamburger patty, mushrooms and provolone and serve. YUM

Friday

Today I got up and went to work at the furniture store and did filing all day. So not fun and very boring. Lol Then I came home and cleaned house and washed 2 loads of clothes before the kid I watch got here. When he fell asleep I started dinner. My son does not like seafood of any kind so tonights dinner is a lot. I cooked Parmesan Tilapia (recipe follows), Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, Fried Okra and a very yummy newly made sauce served over pasta. (recipe follows)

Parmesan Tilapia

6 pcs. Tilapia
1/4 cup mayo
1/8 cup lemon juice
4 dashes hot sauce (I use chili garlic)
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1/2 cup parmesan
1 tsp horseradish *optional*

Preheat Broiler on Low. Layer Tilapia on broiler pan. In a bowl mix rest of ingredients together and spread on Tilapia. Place fish in oven on the 2nd to lowest level and let cook about 10-15 mins or til flaky. Top should be golden brown.

Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice
4 dashes hot sauce (i used chili garlic)
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1/4 cup parmesan

Mix all ingredients together and pour over your fav pasta.

Note: I took spaghetti noodles and put about 4 tbs of butter and stirred til melted then poured the sauce over the noodles. I was surprised at how good it was!

Thursday Dinner and More

I have to take my son to the eye doctor today bc he is complaining his glasses are too blurry to see through. I figured while I'm over there I will stop at Walmart and pick up a few things that are cheaper than buying it here in my small town. So that got me to thinking what do I really want for dinner tonight. I think Breakfast for Dinner sounds really good.We will have Fried Potatoes, Fried Eggs, Sausage, Ham and Grits.

Fried Potatoes

6-8 Red Potatoes thinly sliced
2 Slices of Bacon, chopped
1 Onion thinly sliced or chopped
2 Tbls Olive Oil
In a skillet heat your oil add your bacon and cook til slightly crisp, layer your potatoes in skillet and top with onions. Cover and let cook on Med for 10 mins then flip potatoes and cook for another 10 mins or until potatoes are golden brown.

Canoe Furniture & Sleep Shop - Home

Canoe Furniture & Sleep Shop - Home

Take a look at the site and leave a comment saying you stopped by. If you are in need of a portable building, we can service you anywhere in the US!

Sites I use for Teaching My Kids

http://www.education.com

They are also having a back to school contest for us teachers so check it out. 
http://www.education.com/back-to-school-contest-for-teachers/?cid=50.650

Wednesday Dinner

Tonights Dinner is gonna be my hubby's fav! He loves Meatloaf and I always do them a little different than the average loaf. 

Meatloaf Cups

1 lb ground beef
1 packet of onion flavored soup
1 egg
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup italian bread crumbs
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1 tsp water
ketchup for top

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl mix all ingredients together. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with a nonstick spray and play 1/4 cup of meat into each cup and top with ketchup and bake for 30 mins or til meat is done.
Serve with fav sides!



Also dont forget Avon orders go in tonight so if you have anything you would like to order now would be the time. IF you are ordering online, go to www.youravon.com/jessicastinson

Tuesday Dinner and More

Today started off kind of rocky. Kids woke in bad moods and didnt want to do school today but we finally got going and were still able to finish all of todays work. I havent been feeling well so I havent been able to really blog. Hopefully I can get in with a doc soon and figure out what is wrong with me. This past weekend was wonderful but very exhausting. I left work and headed to MS which is about a 2 hour drive for me with 4 kids to pick up my best friend and her 6 week old baby! Then we drove home, so yes I was in a car with 4 kids for 4 hours. Im impressed to say they were actually pretty good the whole trip. So I spent the weekend loving on the baby and babysitting. Then yesterday I spent the day pretty much in bed bc I was so nauseated, still that way today but I gotta babysit this afternoon so nappy for me.  Anyways on to whats for dinner. 

Oh for lunch I cooked all my chicken for the day and made buffalo chicken pizza so I will give that recipe first then tonights dinner is chicken alfredo! 

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Pizza Dough
Cut up cooked Chicken (2 breasts)
Buffalo Sauce
Ranch Dressing
Shredded Mozzarella
Provolone Cheese

Heat oven to 425. Spread your dough out on a pizza pan.  Mix your sauce and dressing together and spread on dough. Top with shredded cheese then chicken then more shredded cheese and layer provolone on top. Pop in oven for about 15 mins or til done. Very yummy!

Chicken Alfredo

4 Chicken Breasts cooked and cut up (season the way you like)
2 Jars of Alfredo Sauce
3 Tblsp Basil Pesto
8 oz Fettucine Noodles

In a pan combine your chicken, sauce and pesto. Bring to a boil then let simmer. In a pot cook your noodles as directed. Drain combine chicken and sauce to noodles mix and serve.

I also make a homemade alfredo too that you can use instead of jar alfredo.

2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour or more if needed
1 1/2 cup milk or half and half
3/4 cup parmesean and romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan melt butter and add 1tbs garlic. Stir in flour and make a roux. Stir in milk, cook and stir over med heat until thickened and bubbly. Over low heat add in cheese and stir til melted.

Testing and Dinner

Today we completed our tests in homeschool. I was very proud of my kids! On each test we took no one missed more than 1. For my son that is a HUGE achievement bc he really struggles with spelling and he only missed one word out of 10. And it also lets me know we are on the right path in our studies this year. So yes this makes me very proud!

Now on to dinner. We went to Winn Dixie today after the bank to pick up some Gummy Bears for a Science Experiment and I also needed milk. Well I seen a few bogo sales that I couldnt pass up. And the Make A Meal Deals were too good to pass up. One of the deals was 3 boxes of cereal and you get a gallon of milk, donuts, apple juice and doles fruit cups! I needed the milk and with my kids I can always use the cereal so this to me was a good deal. They also had buy 2 bags of armour meatballs for $9.98 and you get Prego Sauce, Spaghetti Noodles and Cole's Garlic Bread Loaf. So that is whats for dinner. I poured the meatballs and sauce into the crockpot to slow cook thru out the day and later I will boil the noodles and bake the bread. Simple and Easy! Just the way I like it after a busy day!

Hubby and I are actually gonna have a date night to ourselves after kids are in bed. This involves Hoodwinked Too the movie, The Guild and just spending 1 on 1 time together. And since its national movie night with Redbox I got the kids a movie too. Mars Needs Moms! So after lunch we are gonna sit down and watch a movie together then clean house bc I have company spending the weekend with me. I cant wait to see my handsome baby nephew!!!!

Wednesday Dinner

Tonight for dinner is my version of Beef Stroganoff

1 pkg beef tips or stew meat
1 pack mushroom gravy
1 pack onion gravy
8 oz sour cream
10 oz egg noodles
salt and pepper

In a skillet brown your meat and set aside.  Boil water in a pot for your noodles, follow directions on bag.  In a pot make your gravy as said on package. I combine the 2 together and just double the recipe. When meat, gravy and noodles are done and drained, I combine all together, add the sour cream, salt and pepper and mix. Voila Dinner! Lol

Tuesday

Well today is going well despite the fact that I didnt get to bed til almost 3am. Kids are doing there school work and I am playing on the computer (I know bad mommy) but they are doing there work and I can leave them for a few mins to check a few things out like the Back To School Shopping Party on Parents Connect. http://www.parentsconnect.com/parenting-boards/back-to-school-shopping-party/ I absolutely love there parties. I won a set of trucks back in December and my kids play with them often. So if you are a parent, I would check it out bc its a lot of fun and easy to do.

Tonights dinner is gonna be so YUMMY! I am making Clam Chowder. I love love love Clam Chowder but only when its homemade. Its super easy to make and goes great with chunks of crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes ( I prefer red potatoes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 (10 ounce) cans minced clams

Directions

1. Place diced bacon in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
2. Pour in half-and-half, and add butter. Drain clams, reserving clam liquid; stir clams and 1/2 of the clam liquid into the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Do not allow to boil.

Canoe Furniture & Sleep Shop - Home

Canoe Furniture & Sleep Shop - Home


If you are looking for a storage building that you can own or lease to own in your own backyard then look no further. Our portable buildings are the best on the market. So check us out and see what you think and then come on by or look for a dealer near you and tell em we sent you!

Halloween and Autumn Lovers

For all you Halloween and Autumn Lovers check out Avon for some awesome and neat items that are on sale now. They have a really cute Halloween bear and an Spiderweb Umbrella with a glow in the dark spider on top. Now tell me that is not cool. Also they have other items I know you would be interested in. So when you get a chance hop on over to www.youravon.com/jessicastinson and check out all the cool stuff.

New Campaign

Campaign 19 is up and running so head over and check it out! www.youravon.com/jessicastinson

The First Day of Homeschooling

Well this morning got off to a rocky start, my son had an attitude about starting school and didnt want to listen to me about the rules and how things were gonna be different from last year. And I have learned that when my youngest doesnt like something she will just sit there and cry. This is my first year homeschooling her and her teachers before always told me that she would do this. I am now a believer. LOL But after we got that problem settled and my son to understand things become much better and I only had to do 1 time out and I didnt have to ductape any of the kids mouths. So yay for day 1. Hopefully tomorrow will be an even better day.

Also tomorrow is the LAST DAY for Avon Campaign 18 so get your orders in now. www.youravon.com/jessicastinson 

Avon Sales

2 more days left to get your Avon orders in, we have some great deals going on and some rocking new looks. Also we have lots of clothes sales in our outlet brochures as we transition from summer to fall so head on over to www.youravon.com/jessicastinso​n and take a look and place your order!

Its Monday

Its Monday and I am so glad that we are not homeschooling until tomorrow bc kids are very cranky. The reason we put it off a day is hubby was supposed to have Saturday off but he didnt and so he now has today off and I have a ton of errands I need to run and do. I wish I could wait 1 more week to start the homeschooling bc I have so much that needs to be done but I know that come next week it still wouldnt be all done and Id still be procrastinating. Oh well here's to not procrastinating and getting some things done when I can.

Its Sunday

Its Sunday and tomorrow starts the new week and we also start homeschooling here in the Stinson House. I am a little skeptical when it comes to my son who really does not like school. I am really hoping with all the new cool stuff I bought from Books A Million that I will be able to keep him interested this year. My girls are really looking forward to staying home this year and being schooled by mom. Im not sure they will still think that in a few weeks tho. I do plan on taking them on a few fun filled field trips this year. We will definitely be going and seeing the Blue Angels Homecoming Show! Im also thinking of finding a few museums and artsy things to do. I'm really hoping I can make this a good year for them and me!

Tonights Dinner

Taco Soup
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
2 cans of corn
2 cans pinto beans
1 jar salsa

Brown your ground beef and drain grease. Then add to crock pot and add seasoning and veggies and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve in bowls with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream and extra salsa if you like. 

New to Blogging

I am new at this so if anyone has any tips pls feel free to leave them. Also I am hoping my blog will help me get my Avon on track and will help me get my sales up. So if anyone is interested in buying Avon, my website is www.youravon.com/jessicastinson   Also if you are interested in selling Avon, send me a message and I will give you details.