God Bless Our Boys

I went to an open house today for my nephew.  He leaves for the Army this week.  Where does time go, I ask you?  It seems as though he should still be the little boy I loved to tease and he so loved to tease back.  But time marches on, and this is the path he has chosen at this time for his life.  As we all know, service to our country is a sacrifice for the servicemen and women and all the family members they leave at home.  After I got home this evening and reflected on the day, a little chorus came to mind that I learned as a child at Church Kids' Camp....I remember singing this as we gathered together for every evening service.

God bless our boys,

 (only boys went to the service then...LOL)

Wherever they may be,

God bless our boys,

On land or on the sea,

Or in the air,

We'll follow with our prayers,

God bless our boys,

God bless our boys.

I'm sure everyone reading this today has someone or knows someone who is serving our country.  Please take a moment to say a prayer for them and their families.

Oh My Goodness!!

It was just brought to my attention that I talked about the pumpkin chili but I didn't include the link for the recipe.  Sorry about that.  This one is definitely worth the try.  And with all soups and chili, it was way better the second and third day...yes it makes a lot.  It is a very, very thick chili.  This recipe would be great for nachos or chili dogs.  The next time I make it I will probably cut it down to two pounds of meat instead of three.  Of course, there was no complaint from the man of the house about the amount of meat.  After our third day of lunching on this, I finally told my hubby there was a secret ingredient.  He couldn't guess so I told him.  He was surprised and said he would have never known.  So for all you picky eaters out there, give it a try!!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pumpkin-Chili?cpi=2&sort=2

What's For Supper?

I found this recipe in a book entitled "Cooking Healthy with a Man In Mind".  Cabbage Patch Meatloaf is a winner in my house.  I've made this several times and highly recommend it.  So here goes:

Cabbage Patch Meat Loaf

16oz. ground 90% lean turkey or beef

6 T. dried fine bread crumbs (I use seasoned crumbs)

1 1/2 cups purchased coleslaw mix

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

1/4 c. finely chopped green pepper

1/4 t. dried minced garlic

2/3 c. Heinz Light Harvest or Healthy Choice Ketchup (reserving) 1/3 c. for topping) *

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9X5 loaf pan with butter-flavored cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine meat, bread crumbs, coleslaw mix, onion, green pepper, garlic and 1/3 c. ketchup.  Mix well using hands.  Pat mixture into prepared pan.  Bake 45 min.  Spread remaining 1/3 c. ketchup over top and continue baking 15 min.  Place loaf pan on a wire rack and let set 5 min.  Cut into 6 servings.

Hint:  1 1/4 c. shredded cabbage and 1/4 c. shredded carrots may be substituted for the coleslaw mix.

*I used ketchup I had on hand

The Verdict Is In

The chili passed the test.  The hubby really liked it and had two bowls.  You would never know the pumpkin was in there unless the cook told you.   Which, by the way, I did not tell...lol.  It was different but not because of the pumpkin.  The chili sauce (2 bottles) made it very sweet and mildly spicy.  While it would not take the place of my favorite chili recipes, I would make it again.

And by the way, the pumpkin cookies were delicious.

What Do Ya' Do When It's Cold and Snowy Outside?

I don't know about you but when the forecast calls for snowy, blizzardy (not sure that's a word) winter weather, I get in the mood to cook/bake.  So, that being said, I'm trying a new recipe for supper tonight.  Shhhh....don't tell the hubby.  It is Pumpkin Chili...LOL  I know,  sounds crazy,  but all the reviews I read (except for one)  was very favorable.  I hope I'm not #2 on the unfavorable list or we are going to be hungry tonight..LOL  So, all he knows is we are having chili tonight and I'm trying a different recipe. Oh it's different alright!  So what to do with the extra cup of pumpkin left after mixing up the chili?  Well, pumpkin cookies, of course.  Cookies always make the husband happy so that may smooth over the chili if it turns out to be a disaster.  Stay tuned for update on how this turns out for me.

I'm working to get that album ready for giving away.  I've reached my 25 members so be on the lookout for the give away announcement.

I Made My Own Grandma's Brag Book

Well, as promised, I finally got around to taking pics of the album I made in anticipation of the new arrival in our family.  Yes, the front and back covers are a bit off, but, hey, it is the first time I've used my Zutter Bind-It-All.  I'll get better with practice.  I'm sure of it.  Here goes and sorry for the glare on some of the pics.

I failed to mention that some of the pages are pockets so I can store extra photos in them.  I hope you enjoyed seeing my brag book.

Don't Stew About It......

just put it in the crock pot and forget about it.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my crock pot.  Best little invention in the kitchen ever!!  I made an awesome stew yesterday for last night's supper.  It was so yummy and the hubster loved it.  I'm posting the link for the recipe but I will tell you I left out the step of the bacon.  I saw no need for that...now mind you, I love bacon but I didn't think it was necessary so I left it out.  Shhhhh...don't tell the hubby there should've been bacon in that stew he loved so much.  One more thing I did different, I drained and added a can of petite cut tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes called for.  Just easier and I figured the tomatoes this time of the year wouldn't be that great anyway.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Loaded-Vegetable-Beef-Stew?pmcode=IKCDV02T&_mid=493400&_rid=493400.288300.65425

Another tidbit...my crock pot wouldn't hold the last step of adding the cabbage so I transferred the stew at this point to a large pot on the stove for the final 30 min. or so.  I supposed if you don't like cabbage in your stew you could leave that out too.  We, however, love cooked cabbage so that step I wouldn't avoid.

I hope you'll give this a try.  We give it a definite 5 stars!!