Tyler this is for you and Marie. I love making this meal when I only have a little time to prepare dinner. I have made it with frozen chicken tenders before and it still turns out great. You cannot mess this recipe up and it is stinking good!

Southwestern Chicken and Rice

4 chicken breasts (or 9 tenders)
1 cup salsa
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups water
2 cups minute rice, uncooked
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
sour cream and black olives, optional

Bring Chicken, salsa, taco seasoning and water to a boil in large skillet; cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in rice and beans, sprinkle with cheese. Cover, cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Top with sour cream if desired. Enjoy! Printable recipe

I loved my Thanksgiving table. Our little family stayed home this year and shared Thanksgiving with our neighbor. I wanted to make our table look like we were celebrating a special occasion. I didn't want to stick with the usual fall colors so I looked around my house to see what I could put on the table. Some white and silver gourds, silver pear candles, silver apple place card holders, and silver chargers and white plates worked but it lacked color. So....while I was minding my own business at Walmart I passed the fabric section. They had bolts of fabric for 5 bucks! BOLTS! I picked up this great green fabric and used it as a runner. Then I picked the last of the herbs in my garden and put them in little vases with silver ribbon. I thought the table turned out pretty nice. Onward to Christmas! Stay tuned for some great recipes.

I love birthdays. We try to make birthdays in our family really special. For each of my kids birthdays I let them pick out a cake they want me to (attempt) make. Each of my three kids have picked out some really fun cakes that fit their personalities. A few years ago I came across this website and thanked my lucky stars for Karen Tack. She is the genius that wrote Hello, Cupcake and What's New, Cupcake? Take a look at some of the cakes I've made. Keep in mind I'm a cake-making novice.

Morgan's purse cake


Nate's monkey cake

Morgan's pizza cake

Andrew's horsey cake

Nate's space ship cake

Nate's sail boat cake


Andrew's snake cake

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I'm a little excited mainly due to the fact that I get to legally cook with pumpkin. I love this pumpkin bar recipe. It isn't overly sweet but it has great mixture of spices. I found the little pumpkin on top in the cake decorating aisle of my grocery store. Or, sprinkle the top with cinnamon or cupcake sprinkles. It makes a ton so invite your friends over for a "calm before the holiday storm" party. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1-2/3 cup sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin
Mix together until fluffy, then add:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp nutmeg
Mix well
Pour in greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

When cool frost bars with butter cream frosting.
Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Mix together well and spread on bars when cooled. Printable recipe

My kids love chicken fingers, chicken tenders, chicken strips or whatever you call them. Basically they are chicken tenders breaded and deep fried. They are hot and delicious but I have not been very impressed with the chicken strips I buy in the frozen aisle at my grocery store. They are more soggy than crispy after I nuke them in the microwave. When I came across this recipe I was a little apprehensive. But Pioneer Woman has never steered my wrong. I tried making these homemade chicken strips and we loved them! Try them for yourself. If you make these, your kids will do the dishes for a week.

Are you craving something gooey, something chocolaty and creamy? This is the dessert for you. It reminds me of my first year of college when my roommates and I made this dessert before a girls-choice dance. In retrospect I think I liked the dessert more than my date.


Mud Pie
*Ashli D.

Brownie Layer:
1 cup butter
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten well
1-1/2 cup flour
2 tsp vanilla

White Layer:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 pkg cream cheese

1 pkg (6 oz) chocolate instant pudding
make according to box

1 tub cool whip
or 2 cups whipped cream, whipped and sweetened

Nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brownie layer: Mix butter, cocoa, and sugar together. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Spread brownie layer in 9X13 pan and bake for 25 minutes.

White layer: Cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese.

When brownie is cool top with white mixture, then layer the pudding on top and finish off with whipping cream and nuts if desired. Refrigerate. Printable recipe

This is one of those recipes that is tried and true. When we have company over, or when a friend has a baby and I take her a meal, this is the recipe I make.
#1. It is delicious and not overly tomatoe-y.
#2. Everyone seems to like it. It is easy to make and serves lots of people.

I found the recipe in a magazine about 12 years ago. I hope you like it.

Baked Spaghetti

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp butter
1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes with liquid, cut up
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 tsp dried oregano
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained, optional
12 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Add ground beef if desired. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Top with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix the soup and water until smooth; pour over the casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Printable recipe