Eggplant Dressing

    One of our favorite side dishes is rice dressing.  There is a twist to that recipe if you want something with a little different flavor.  When the garden starts supplying us with more eggplant than I know what to do with, I add it to my rice dressing! 

    I am always looking for ways to sneak vegetables into our diet.  Because the eggplant is chopped so fine, no one will know it's in there!  

    I love to serve this with baked chicken (or fried), but you could serve it with whatever meat you choose.

Eggplant Dressing

1 lb. Savoie's Dressing Mix
1-2 cups eggplant - peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1-2 cups cooked rice

Put eggplant in a food processor and chop fine.  Add dressing mix and eggplant to large pot. Add water. Let cook approx. 20-30 minutes.  Add more water if needed.  Mix in rice, let heat a few minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Note:  I will be on vacation for the rest of July.  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  See you in August...

Red Beans and Smoked Sausage

     For years, I couldn't cook dried beans because they always came out too hard.  I tried soaking them overnight and cooking them the next day like I was told.  Didn't work for me. Then a couple of years ago, a friend of mine told me how she cooks hers.  It sounded so easy, so I tried it.  Finally, I could make red beans and sausage!


1 lb. dried red kidney beans
1/2 large onion - chopped
1/2 cup onion tops - chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
Tony Chachere's or other seasoning to taste-salt, pepper, cayenne, Tabasco, etc.
1 lb. of smoked sausage - sliced

In large pot, fill approx. 1/2 half with water.  Add dried beans, onion, tops, garlic and seasoning.  Bring to boil, cook for 10-15 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium - low and let cook. In separate pan, saute sausage until browned.  Add to beans and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add water as needed - don't let beans dry out.  Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over cooked rice.


This same recipe works for pintos and white northern beans also. You could substitute ham for the sausage.  That is delicious too!

Inspirational Photos

     I was shopping at the Family Dollar recently and came across a Zen calendar for 2013.  It was on clearance for $.25.  I had to buy it!  I love all things inspirational so I've been trying to figure out what to do with it. 

     I have two granddaughters and I want them to grow up with the confidence and self esteem to do whatever their hearts desire, so I made them for their room when they visit.

    I tore the photos out of the calendar, and put together the three I thought was most appropriate for them.  Then, I searched the house for picture frames.  Who doesn't have extra frames around the house??? I trimmed the photos to fit in the frames.  Easiest thing ever!!!!

     I sent the girls a picture once they were done and they loved them!  Of course, their favorite colors are in them....purple and pink.

Here are the close ups of the photos:

 

 

No need to buy art to decorate your home- use your imagination!

Fruit and Vege Trays

 

 

 

 

   Do you have extra fruit and vegetable trays laying around?  I do too, so I decided to use them!  I usually have plenty of fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator and they go bad because I don't take them out for us to eat....sound familiar???? 

   This is a way to make sure they don't go to waste, because it's ready to eat...kids will love this idea!  Let them put it together and they'll probably be more willing to eat it. Do this on the weekend and you are set for the week.  On second thought, you  may need to make two....one for the week and one for the weekend!  If you are starving when you get home, take this out and snack on the fruits/veges while you prepare dinner. I used to make these a lot when my son's were younger. It's a great summertime lunch or snack.  How about a backyard picnic!

Some of the ingredients I've used are:
apples
bananas
oranges
grapes
pineapple
melons
cantaloupe
baby carrots
cucumbers
celery sticks
cheese
ham slices
crackers


Just use whatever fruits and vegetables you have on hand!  So easy and healthy.

Enjoy your summer!

Apples with Dip

    This is a family favorite of ours.  It's so refreshing as a summer dessert and so easy. Looks like a flower doesn't it? 

 Before adding pecan topping

After adding pecan topping



Apple Dip

1 lb. powdered sugar
1- 8 oz. container cream cheese
1- 8 oz. container caramel sauce
8 oz. chopped pecans or almonds
Apples


Cream powdered sugar and cream cheese until blended.  Spread on center of plate.  Cover mixture with caramel sauce.  Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.  Cut up apples and place around perimeter of plate.  

*I have also used heath chips instead of pecans, and it was super sweet, but divine! 

Keep plenty of apples on hand, because they will go quickly!


Enjoy!

Blackberry Jelly and Cobbler

     Now that I have all of the blackberries frozen in Ziploc bags in the freezer, I can take them out one at a time to make jelly and cobbler.  I started using the Sure Jell - low sugar pectin this year.  It's amazing how much less sugar it takes and how much MORE it taste like blackberry jelly!

    Jelly is not really that hard to make-  Just don't try to multi-task while you do it!  Here's how I did it:     *Be sure to get all ingredients measured and ready before beginning

Blackberry Jelly

1 gallon blackberries(approx. 6 pints) - put in strainer, put strainer over bowl and let sit in refrigerator overnight to drain.  Now, if you do like I did, and FORGOT to take the berries out last night, here's another way to do it (much quicker too).  I put the berries in a pot, turned the heat to medium-high and let the berries liquefy. Drain through strainer until you have the recommended amount of juice.  **Don't throw the berries away once you drain the juice! This is what you'll use to make the cobbler.

4-1/2 cups prepared juice - can add up to 1/2 cup water to get this amount
3 cups sugar
1 box sure jell pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine - helps to reduce foaming

Mix 1/4 cup sugar into sure jell pectin.
Pour juice into large pot. 
Add sugar/pectin mix and butter.

Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stir constantly.
Stir in rest of sugar quickly.  Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute-stir constantly.
Remove from heat. Skim off foam.
Pour immediately into prepared jars.  (Boil them in hot water and drain right before pouring)
Screw tops tightly and turn jars upside down for approx. 5 minutes, then turn upright. 
Makes about 6 cups jelly. 


Delicious on toast with butter!

I started making cobbler with the leftover berries, because I couldn't bear to throw perfectly good berries away!  This way, nothing is wasted.  They still have a lot of flavor, and if you add 1 cup sugar to them, they will still be juicy for your cobbler.

Blackberry Cobbler

1 stick melted butter
1 cup milk - I used whole milk
1 cup sugar for cobbler + 1 cup for blackberries
1 cup self-rising flour
Leftover blackberries

Add 1 cup sugar to blackberries and mix well.  Let sit while you make cobbler mix.

 In separate bowl, mix sugar and flour, add milk slowly.  Add butter and stir well.  Pour into greased pan or corning ware pan.  Drop blackberries by spoonful on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or powdered sugar if desired.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Happy Mother's Day

Saw this on a military mom's website...

Children are our greatest gifts.  Enjoy every moment you have with them, they grow up so fast.  One day you'll wake up and the house will be too quiet! 

 I hope everyone has a wonderful day!