Oh My Stars Cookie Bars.....

That's the name my kids gave these wonderful treats!

•1 cup butter, softened
•2 cups light brown sugar, packed
•2 eggs
•2 teaspoons vanilla
•2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon salt
•3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

Cream butter and brown sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Blend in salt, soda, then oats, and lastly the flour. Spread 2/3 of the mixture in greased 10x15x1.

•Filling:
•1 (15-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
•1 (12-oz) package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
•2 tablespoons butter
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons vanilla
•2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Heat milk, choc chips, and butter until chocolate has melted. Stir in salt, vanilla, and nuts.

Pour over cookie mixture and spread evenly. Top with the remaining 1/3 cookie mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Cool and cut.

(Opt. coconut would be great added to these!)

************************************************************

This post is linked to some other yummies:

Finer Things

Family Recipe Fridays

Foodie Friday

Frugal Friday

Calling all friends!

Brandy has been nominated at DivineCaroline for "The Divine Caroline Love This Site Award for 2009"!

Could I ask you all to take a couple of minutes to go over there and cast your vote for her??? You will have to register-- its free! But its easy- name and email-- then you can cast a vote, easy peasy!!!

Once you've logged in to her site, Brandy is under the "home and food" category. Right now she's on the 8th page- but with our votes- we can move her right on up!!!

(I love things like this! Its a small way that we can thank those who encourage us!)

*...If you remember Brandy did a guest post for me and I've asked her for more in the future...*

****Be sure to read Brandy's guest post "What Are the Gaps in Your Food Storage?"
at Saving and Giving.****

CLICK HERE to cast your vote for Brandy's site!

Bread Rising Tips...

I've discovered a couple of things that help my favorite breakfast bread along during rising.

-The best rise is to turn the oven light on, shape the loaves, place in buttered pans and tuck them in the oven during rising time. Steady warmth and no draft!

-If I have other things baking, and I'm trying to rush the bread along, I will sit it on top of the flattop stove and the warmth will speed the rising along.

-Now, this tip is tricky and it won't work well for recipes that are made for long rises.

I have a 'fifth eye' , which is a 'warmer' on my flattop. I can speed my breakfast bread up with good results as well as breadsticks and some other things, by sitting them on that nice little warmer on a low to medium temp.

Go here for more Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

Pear Preserves...

My neighbors gave me more pears and asked about me making them a jar of pear preserves. Well, I had NO clue as to what pear preserves were- But this was the second year they have brought me pears and the second year that they've asked about these pear preserves so I decided to go digging!

Based on some great information that I found here, and DH's description- this is what I came up with- here they are straight from the canner!In exchange for their kindness, I baked them a loaf of bread and made them a jar of juiced pears. Tomorrow, I will take them some of those pear preserves!

(Let's hope they are to their liking! They are very good- sweet and tart!)

(mmm- juiced pears!)

We got out the juicer the other day since fall and germs are in the air! I hope the extra vitamins from juicing will help fight the germies!

Pear preserves and Juicing- Works for Me!!!

A new (old) cookbook with my Swagbucks...

This is an old cookbook, a little like More with Less.
It has lots of recipes with 'basics' and it also is a diet/way of life cookbook,
full of tips about lifestyle changes and even some tips on feeding children.
It has over 350 recipes.



BTW, Swagbucks is simply a search bar- you get rewarded just by doing searches! Save up and buy! I ordered this book by saving up my swagbucks and buying a $5 Amazon gift card!

Main Dish Macaroni and Cheese...

This tasty recipe is closely based on one from the new-old cookbook that I bought with my Swagbucks! My kids have been begging for a mac-and-cheese-meal and after finding this recipe and adjusting to make it fit for this big crew, I finally decided to let them have their way! In 2 T butter, sauteed one large onion, chopped. After 3 minutes, add:
1 t salt
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t black pepper
1 t dry mustard
Cook for 2 more minutes.

Add 6 cups of water and 1 box macaroni (wheat or veggie), bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 6 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup plain flour over noodles and mix well.

Add 2 cans evaporated milk and 2 1/3 cups shredded cheese.
Stir until melted and heated through.
Opt. Right before serving sprinkle with paprika and/or fold American cheese slices in half to form diamonds and lay across macaroni in serving dish.


**Served here with fresh fried squash and green peas. (topped with extra black pepper)

Fresh Food!

I am so tickled about my "fall" garden this year. I had many doubts about whether it would work, whether I was planting too late, whether the seeds would sprout, etc. But this week I'm thankful to say that God has been so good to my little garden and made it to produce again!

These beautiful kale greens are growing abundantly in several places in my garden right now! I also have a new batch of squash that is giving me very pretty produce!

I can't believe that I have new squash in September!!!

(You know this was coated in cornmeal and fried in rendered beef fat, right?)
And then to my surprise, I found these treasures on the porch!

(I have some great neighbors! I will juice them some pears and bake them some bread in exchange for their kindness.)
This Gratituesday, I'm thankful to still have fresh food coming in!

God is truly good!

Menu Plan Monday....

*This week is starting with pumpkin pie for me!!!With fall starting to make its presence known, I just couldn't resist!I've also got out the juicer so I can get a little extra goodies down everyone to help ward off those germies that will soon be coming out to wreak havoc! (More Menu Plan Monday HERE!)

SUNDAY-
-kids choice
-Homemade Mac-n-Cheese Meal, fried squash and peppers from the garden, green peas, Baked Peanut Butter Pie
-Pan-fried chicken breasts,leftover mac and cheese, steamed broccoli, pumpkin pie
Snacks: pear juice from the juicer, popcorn

MONDAY-
-oatmeal with blueberries, milk
-Tuna Salad on homemade toasted bread, salad, leftover pumpkin pie
-Lil Roasted Chickens with red potatoes and carrots, fried okra
Snacks- pear juice from the juicer, salsa and blue corn chips

TUESDAY-
-Homemade Whole Wheat Waffles, milk
-Chicken Salad on Homemade Pita Bread, cup-of veggie-bean soup
-Meatloaf Cups, mashed potatoes, green beans
Snacks: pear and carrot and kale juice from the juicer, Maple-Walnut Muffins

WEDNESDAY-
-kids choice (cereal, leftover waffles)
-Indian Tacos
-BBQ Chicken Quarters, potatoes, cole slaw
Snacks-juice from the juicer, boiled eggs,blueberry shortcakes

THURSDAY-
-Eggs and Applesauce
-Beef-n-Cabbage Bake, corn on cob, green beans
-Monkey Meat on Flatbread, fruit salad
Snacks-Lemon Oatmeal Bread, Blueberry-Lemon Yogurt Smoothie

FRIDAY-
-soaked oatmeal
-Crumby Fish, green beans, corn
-Hamburger Pan Pizza
Snacks- Raisin Bread, Blueberry Cream Shakes

SATURDAY-
-kids choice
-Goolash, cornbread muffins
-Country Baked Beef Pie, okra and kale from the garden
Snacks- Blueberry Cottage Pudding Cake
************************************************************

And sometime this week I am hoping to try some new things like:

Mocha Bagels, Applesauce Cake, and Blueberry Coffee Cake!

Vanilla Cupcakes.....

These cupcakes are as yummy as any from a bakery! The icing has a nice satin shine to it and oh the yummy buttery flavor!

I found the recipe the other day at JoyofBaking, while looking for a small, quick batch of cupcakes. If you love frugal, home-baking there are gazillions of wonderful treats to bake on that site!

Vanilla Cupcakes:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lemon (optional)
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar
(icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk or light cream
Assorted food colors (if desired)


Vanilla Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

For the Cupcakes: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract
and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. If you want flat topped cupcakes then slice off the dome of each cupcake, with a sharp knife, before frosting. If you want to pipe the frosting, I like to use a large Wilton 1M closed star decorating tip.

For the Frosting: In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores).

Makes about 12 cupcakes.
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Follow these links for more:
Frugal Fridays
Finer Things
Family Recipe Fridays

Foodie Friday

Some days are apples and some days are peppers, and some days are both..

I have been buying a (yes a whole) box of apples every month(on my once-a-month shopping trip) and my family hasn't had any problem gobbling them up. My last box was a box of local Gala apples. They looked very pretty and were the perfect size, not too big! Looks can be deceiving however and these apples were more of the texture of Red Delicious apples, mushy and no one here likes them very much. One of my kids said they were 'sandy' and DH said they were like applesauce! Needless to say, they started rotting from the inside out! So, I felt it my duty to oblige them if they wanted to be apple sauce! ;) So I spent some time making apple sauce and apple juice from them.

My kids of course, had me open one right back up and requested eggs and applesauce (one of their favorite 'meals', however usually for breakfast).
Then I braved the mud bog, uh garden, and saw my poor pepper plants withering so I decided to pull all the peppers before they withered too. In order to cut okra, I had to take a shovel to brace myself because I was sliding and sinking so bad in the mud. DH stood back watching, letting me know that he would go get the camera if I fell! ;) I had mud up past my ankles and around the bottom of my skirt by the time I was finished. -sigh-
(I forbid the kids to come near the garden, because last year it got wet like that in the spring and they were up to their knees in the mud!)

Have you girls seen this?

I don't know about you, but I never would have thought to tell my kids NOT to do this. ;)

Now- all part of the pep talk.

Lightly Sweet Almond-Oatmeal Balls...

I ran across a neat recipe the other day but I couldn't get it to work as it was and with what I had on hand so, here's my altered version:

2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup honey (you may want more sweetener if your littles are used to it, this amount isn't very sweet at all, you could add 1/3 cup brown sugar)
2 beaten eggs
1/2 t almond extract
3/4 cup almond slivers or slices
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Mix well and drop spoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for approx. 12 minutes until lightly golden.
*****************************************************
More yummy recipes at TuesdaysAtTheTable and TemptMyTummyTuesday!

Serving Bowls...

This Gratituesday, I'm thankful for these two shiny bowls! :-)

Many years ago, there was an older lady in my life whom I would visit often. I miss her and I miss learning from her, but the many things she did left an impact on me.

One thing she would do is put all of her hot food on the table in serving bowls and everyone passed the bowls- just like on The Walton's! It just made you feel good and 'right at home'.

Now that I have half a dozen kids, I don't always practice this, else I would be washing dishes for hours! But, I do like to use bowls for some things like bread, fruit, salad, and I sometimes will at breakfast when its just eggs and biscuits or eggs and English (wheat) Muffins.

*

I picked up these two pretty bowls at the Goodwill. One was .99 and the other was 1.99 and I got a 20% discount since DH chimed in and told her that I was a senior citizen- she said she would give him the discount! I told him, "that's what you get"! Either way, he was happy with the discount, even if his joke backfired on him just a little, hee hee.

*

(And the paper they wrap these in makes for GREAT art paper! ;)

MENU PLAN MONDAY....

Menu planning is well-worth the time invested! If I didn't do this, I'd be standing in the middle of my kitchen, come meal-time, wondering what to cook and listening to everyone tell me how hungry they are!;-)

SATURDAY:
-biscuits and gravy
- leftover chili
-Shrimp I'mafraidso (like this but with shrimp, yummy)
SUNDAY:
-peanut butter granola with milk (huge hit!)
-chicken sandwiches, smoothies
-fish sticks and fries, cookies
MONDAY:
-English (wheat)Muffins with eggs and cheese
-salmon patties, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese (dh's request)
- Simple Stuffed Peppers, okra (if I can get it out of the garden without sinking in the mud), corn
TUESDAY:
-peanut butter granola with milk
-Baked Breaded Tilapia, BBQ potato wedges, green salad
-Beef-n-cabbage bake, mapled carrots
WEDNESDAY:
-eggs and homemade honey-pear sauce
-Indian Tacos-fry bread
-Roasted Chicken with vegges and Scratch mac and cheese
THURSDAY:
-homemade whole wheat waffles
-butter beans with turkey polish sausage, corn on the cob, squash from the garden
-Pan Pizza
FRIDAY:
-soaked oatmeal
-Cream of Beef and Noodles, kale greens from the garden
-Country-baked Beef Pie, potatoes, another veggie from the garden
**************************************
Visit the OrgJunkie for more menu ideas!

Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

By: Charles Wesley


Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my god and King,
The triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of your name.

The name of Jesus charms our fears
And bids our sorrows cease,
Sings music in the sinner’s ears,
Brings life and health and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin;
He sets the prisoner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me.

Look to the Lord, who did atone
For sin, O fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all our sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb has made us whole.
His soul was once an offering made
For every human soul.

To God all glory, praise, and love
Be now and ever given
By saints below and saints above
The Church in earth and heaven.

See that Preparedness Pantry Button?

Add their button to your blog and get a free gift card!

They specialize in products for storage and emergency preparedness.

Storing up for a rainy day? Natural disaster? Or just hard times?
Looking for food grade grain buckets?
Then they've got something that you can use!

Visit by clicking on that little button over there on the right side of my blog. :-)

Have you tried Peanut Butter Granola?

This is very easy and very yummy!

Its Crystal's Recipe, posted on Tammy's Recipes HERE.

$25 worth of organic coupons...

This little booklet came in the mail today. Its loaded with coupons for all kinds of organic food! Coupons are for products made by : Kashi, Organic Valley, 7th Generation, Lightlife, Country Choice, etc.
You can visit MamboSprouts.com to sign up to receive yours by mail!

****************
For more money-saving Frugal Friday tips, visit Life as Mom!

Also, coupons for organics is certainly A Finer Thing!

Uhmmm is Noah here?

It has done NOTHING but rain for hours now. Over 24 of them!
I just heard a report that we had over 6 INCHES, yesterday.
(not counting what we had the night before and today)

The rain is standing in the yards- it looks like ponds!
I think I am going to have to send oldest DS out to dig a trench out at the corner of the garden so the water can drain off- else all will rot!

Noah- we just might need to borrow your ark!

Easy Warmed Tortilla Chip Dip.....

This is so easy and it makes for a nice change from the common 'salsa and chips' that we often have for a snack here. Put it in a proper dish and you have a nice side to take to 'potlucks'.

The amounts and specifics can vary but here's the basic.

-salsa

-cheese (Mont. Jack, Colby, Pepper-Jack, Cheddar, etc)

-avocados, diced

-parsley (or other; cilantro, basil, pepper flakes, oregano, etc)

Pour salsa in baking dish, top with cheese, bake at 350 20 to 25 minutes until hot and cheese is melted. Remove from oven, top with avocados and herbs.

RC pt 2 What I've used for reading/phonics...

I fell in love with the reading/phonics program from Eastern Mennonite Publications**, several years ago. It is called: Beginning Steps to Reading. (Here's a link to a blog where a lady has laid it out really well.) It is similar to Rod and Staff but on a somewhat slower pace I think. Its simple to teach and easy to understand, with lessons laid out in the teacher's edition which gives a sense confidence to even a newbie. The curriculum is set up to be done in approx. 90 lessons. With my children, I took it a little slower, to make sure they were remembering and/or going over the harder lessons for days, if needed.

I didn't purchase everything that went with it such as wall charts and some of the flash cards. I knew that I would not use them or I could make my own if I saw they were needed.

I discovered that there was so much 'stuff' for the students that I could get 2 or 3 children through one set and order just what I needed, since I already had the Teacher's Manuals.
(I used Rod and Staff with my oldest btw.)

The reader is the BEST that I've ever came across. It is filled with easy to read stories from the Bible. The first lesson reads "God made man. Man did sin. Sin made man sad." That first page sold me on the book!

Above is a book, The Victory Drill Book, that I found to be a great benefit to my readers on all levels. The book is filled with word lists and has an outline in the front of the book that states how many words a minute that each grade level should be able to read. The drills build mastery and confidence in all readers.

As you can see from the pic above and the pic below, I kept some Rod and Staff things to use as well. The Bible Nurture Readers are wonderful!
The neatest thing about my children using the EMP program, was that once they got through around 50 to 60 lessons- they were ready to read! So, I let them! I had them use the Bible readers and from there, we worked from the Robinson Curriculum list starting with the Arthur Scott Bailey books. I let them read to their heart's content and when I went back to go through the remaining phonic lessons, they already knew them. They had learned the correct sounds by reading! (This would go right along with the Moore's and Montessori.)

One of my children did not fair well with either of those types of lessons and I used the book below to teach him to read while he sat beside me on the couch. These short lessons were about all his attention span could hold to!

It is a blessing to now have all 6 of them sitting around the table reading!

A beautiful sight!

**Address:

Eastern Mennonite Publication
40 Woodcorner Rd
Ephrata, PA 17522

Frozen Lemon Cream Bars....

This is another treasured recipe from More With Less. And I say treasured -because its just so good! Its like a homemade ice cream sandwich! Yummy!

Beat until stiff:

1 can evaporated milk, chilled

Gradually add:

3/4 cup sugar (I used cane)

Add 3T lemon juice

grated rind of 1 lemon

Beat until very stiff.

Roll into crumbs:

12 graham crackers

Pour half cracker crumbs into 9x9.

Pour cream over and top with remaining crumbs.

Cover well and freeze.

**

You can use other flavors as well!

Or leftover puddings- or even yogurts.

****************

Visit Vanderbilt Wife for more Family Recipe Fridays

and

Designs by Gollum for more Foodie Friday!

The Tale of Three Trees.....

I wanted to show you a strange thing in my back yard, wanna see?

You will see in the pic trees numbered 1, 2, and 3. (click pic to enlarge;)

All 3 trees are Willows.

They were all just twigs when we planted

them.

Tree #1 has grown "normally". Tree #1 has grown several stems this year and they all are about

the same height on tree #1; about 5 foot tall.

All three trees experienced a frost right after we planted

them and died back nearly to the ground!

The strange, very strange, thing about these 3 trees is that they were all planted at the same time, on the same day, just a little over TWO YEARS AGO!
Trees #2 and #3 have grown into huge monsters -with a wild hair-do!

If you look carefully, you will notice that tree #2 hides a picnic table!

All I know is that we prayed for God to bless these trees!

We asked Him to provide shade in the back yard for our dogs and for the kids when they played.

They were the first plant life in our yard, outside of the grass of course and even it wasn't growing very well for the first couple of years!

A simple but diligent prayer, and God heard and blessed!

I'm so grateful for His care over the small things in life and I'm so grateful for the shade of these trees!

For more about Gratituesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers!

English Wheat Muffins....

I use the basic recipe from More with Less, but I mix the flours up a little, cuz you know I'm not cookin' with all white if I don't have to, right? ;-)

(I am seriously biased.)
I also like to add an extra egg!

Warm in small pot:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

Meanwhile combine in mixing bowl:

2T sugar

1 t salt

2 1/2 t yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

Pour warmed milk slowly into dry mixture while mixing on low or beat in by hand.

Blend for 2 minutes.

Add:

2 eggs

1 cup plain flour

1 cup unbleached flour (or enough to make a workable dough)

Allow to rise until doubled, punch down.

Roll out 3/8 inch think and cut with biscuit cutter or can.

Dip both sides in corn meal and allow to rise 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Cook on lightly sprayed griddle until browned on both sides.

Makes 2 dozen muffins. Store in fridge or freeze.

***I served some here for lunch with homemade sloppy joe mix inside, with broccoli and carrots sticks with Yogurt Muesli.

-This was a 'kids choice' meal.-

Free Concerts in the Park!

I have wanted to see one of these for a long time!
This one was free!
This is the Bryan Symphony Orchestra!

They are from the small town of Dayton, TN where the Scopes Trial was held years and years ago. "Founded in 1930, Bryan College is named after William Jennings Bryan: statesman, orator, and renowned prosecuting attorney in the famous Scopes Evolution Trial."

It was great! The children were honestly, a little 'iffy' about the whole thing but I knew they would enjoy it once we got there. They recognized much of the music, from games and movies, so that clicked with them right away. They were won over completely by music from POTC! (And so was I by the way.;) Woo Hoo! ..They all said they enjoyed it when it was over!

What's in your fridge?

Chocolate Cheesecake is sitting right in front of my milk!

What's in your sink?

Swiss Chard and Peppers in mine! See?

MENU PLAN MONDAY...

SUNDAY:
-kid's choice (cereal, oatmeal)
- Turkey Minestrone Soup, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
-Dogs and Burgers
Snacks: popcorn, cookies

MONDAY:
-cream of wheat
-Meatza Pie, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli
-BBQ Chicken Quarters, potato wedges, salad
Snacks: boiled eggs, apples and dip,
banana pudding

TUESDAY:
-soaked oatmeal
-Beans, corn, cornbread, greens, green onions
-Chili, cornbread and crackers
Snacks: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, popcorn, yogurt-blueberry smoothies

WEDNESDAY:
-kids choice (Cheerios, homemade waffles from the freezer)
-chili and corn tortilla chips, cookies
-Five Ways (pasta, spaghetti sauce, chili, chopped onions, cheese)
Snacks: grapes, carrots and dip, granola

THURSDAY:
-homemade whole wheat waffles
- Baked Breaded Tilapia, potatoes, slaw
-Chicken Breast on Homemade Buns, fruit salad
Snacks:grapes, carrots and dip, granola

FRIDAY:
-Bug Oats
-Shrimp Alfredo, steamed broccoli, breadsticks, chocolate(carob) custard
-hamburger steak, potatoes, green peas
Snacks: carrots and dip, apples and dip, cinnamon-honey yogurt

SATURDAY:
-kids choice
-tuna salad on homemade pita bread, carrot sticks, celery sticks, apple slices
-beef, beans, and rice with Chapatis, apple slices
Snacks: Honey Milk Balls, carrots, homemade pickles
*******************************************************************************
VISIT ORG.JUNKIE.COM FOR MORE MENU PLAN MONDAY!

Ever had Buttermilk Pie????

My picture cannot do it justice!

This pie is one of my favorites! And it's so easy to make and frugal!

2-pie shells
Mix:
2 cups cane sugar (you can use white but cane really gives this pie a GREAT flavor)
2 T plain flour
4 eggs
2 sticks melted butter (run mixer while adding)
2 t vanilla
1 cup buttermilk


Pour into pie shell and bake at 325 until set. (Approx. 3o minutes)

Turkey Bacon Inside and Out Burgers, on Buttermilk Buns

My DH liked these so much that he said he woke up the next morning thinking about them! .....If he's not thinking about me, least he's thinkin' about my cookin', huh? ;)

These just kick up your average burger, just a notch!

I cooked up several slices of turkey bacon and laid aside on some paper towels. I mixed in some Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and fresh pepper with my hamburger meat. I then made burger sized meatballs, pushing a pit into the center with the tips of my fingers, tucked crumbled pieces of bacon inside, pressed the meat flat in my hands and tossed it on the griddle!

I topped them with half a slice of pepper jack cheese, some extra bacon, lettuce, mayo and mustard! Yummy!
Especially after stuffing it on a homemade Buttermilk Bun!

Turkey Breast Tenderloins on Homemade Buns....

These were sooo yummy! DH did ask me to cook the turkey at a lower temp next time so as to keep the fillets a little more tender and/or to make it with chicken- but he said he wanted them put on the 'rotation'! ;-)

(I used my homemade French Bread recipe to make the buns, leaving it more to the wet side. I buttered them halfway through baking time so as to keep the tops soft. I cut 12 equal pieces from the dough, then rolled them into 5 inch long ropes that were about 1/2 inch around and pressed them into oval shapes on a greased pan. I let them puff slightly, the scored them down the center and allowed them to double. Bake them at 400 for about 17 to 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool and split for sandwiches.)

I cut the tenderloins into bun sized fillets, salted and peppered both sides, and cooked them on a greased griddle.

Stacked the buns with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a dressing of 3 heaping spoons of mayo, 1 T of mustard, and 2 t spicy mustard blended together. I topped the turkey with cheese just before removing it from the griddle, so as to melt it slightly.

**Served here with sauteed zucchini, onions, and peppers.

**These would be great with chicken!!

Sales this week...

LEO'S
-fryer breast $1.49 lb
-ground beef $1.29
-bottom round roast $1.89
-cabbage 4lbs $1
-3lbs onions .99
-White Lily Cornmeal/Flour $1.89

KROGER
-white and red grapes .99
-8oz shredded cheese 4 for $5
-1/2 gal O.J. .99
-bagged frozen veggies 10/$10
-sliced store brand cheese 12oz 2/$3
-buy Kellogg's 3/$9 or Keebler cookies 3/$6 and get 24 pk water free

FOOD LION
-whole fryers .69 lb
-tuna 3/$1
-toaster strudel 3/$5
-GM cereals b1g1f
-2lb carrots $1.69
-turkeys .99lb

A Frugal Trip to the Goodwill....

For more Frugal Fridays, visit Life as Mom!

This will go under my 'frugal tips' tab because, I was able to purchase several things at the Goodwill as well as buy ONE item that I can sell on ebay that will pay for the entire purchase!

I bought my DD 3 very pretty skirts, the prices were; $2, $2, and $4. I also bought her one very nice blouse for $2.

We also picked up several books, priced as follows;
1 big hardback $2.99 (this was $30 last time I saw it at the store!)
Cliff notes for Paradise Lost .50
The Boxcar Children .50
Hardy Boys .50
a movie $1
Plus one item for $2.99**

That last purchase can be sold on ebay for $25 to $50!
Depending on what else is available at the time.

This shopping trip paid for itself! Woo HOO!

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Sometime back I was able to buy something there for $2.99 and it sold for $75 on ebay.
My son bought something for $9.99 that he can sell anywhere from $50 to $200.
Yah for ebay and the Goodwill!

Leeks-n-Chicken...

This recipe is easy, elegant, and extra good!

Trim roots and tops from one bundle of leeks.

Split down the middle and slice in 1 inch pieces.

Soak in water to remove dirt and grit, drain well.Salt and pepper chicken breast (2.5 to 4 lbs depending on your family size).

Brown chicken breast in 1/4 cup of olive oil (and one T of tallow, if you have it).

Lay chicken aside after browning.

Pour leeks into olive oil (add more oil if needed) and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add 1 cup white cooking wine or chicken broth.

Return chicken to pot, nestling the pieces down into the leeks.
Cover and cook 10 to 15 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over brown rice. Scooping leeks first, slice chicken, and pour sauce over the top.

Garnish with fresh thyme or parley.

**Served here with broccoli and carrot slaw on spinach leaves.