My Life, My Children

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We have hard water. It comes from our well. Even though we have a water softener, the water is still full of minerals and such. It is safe to drink but it is difficult in the bathroom because it leaves a distinctive mark behind. Our bathtub glass doors tend to always have water spots, which makes the glass look dull. Not to mention the soap residue. I’ve tried so many different cleaners it isn’t funny. Nothing seems to work. I just learned a new trick to try. A magic erase marker takes off the markings.  I can’t believe the simplicity of this tip. Do keep them away from children because of the chemicals in the erasure can effect their skin.

This baked dish is a family favorite. We use it for any pitch in dinner since it is easy to make and feeds a lot. Family members often request it.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen hash browns or shredded potatoes (not patties)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8oz sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup shredded cheese (I use more)

In a bowl, mix the potatoes, soup, sour cream and cheese together. Place this into a prepared baking dish. Pour the melted butter over the top. I add more cheese to the top of the dish before baking. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. Serve hot.

This recipe reheats well. You can add bacon bits to the potatoes is desired.

My new favorite meal is so easy to make, thanks to a friend who told me about it when we were discussing pork chops and how to cook them. I had taken to frying them when she suggested baking them in barbeque sauce.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops with bone in
Favorite BBQ sauce about a cup
4 potatoes

Using a baking dish, place the pork chops into the dish and cover them with BBQ sauce. Cover the dish with tin foil so the sauce doesn’t burn. Place the dish with your potatoes into the oven at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes and dinner is ready! It couldn’t be easier and you don’t have to do anything but make a salad or vegetable.

I have used this chicken recipe for the middle of the week and also for a fancy dinner. It works for both situations.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 slices of swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Bread crumbs (Pepperidge farm stuffing)

In a greased baking dish, place the four chicken breasts. Lay the cheese on top of the chicken. Pour the cream of chicken soup over the cheese. Top with breadcrumbs, I tend to use stuffing instead. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour.

Serve over rice.

If you choose to bake the layer of rice on the bottom, add enough water or chicken broth to cook the rice.

Have you ever made quiche? Maybe you like to eat it but have never made it. Actually, it is very easy to make. It freezes well and tastes like it took much more effort than it does to make it. The recipe that follows can be altered easily to your likes or leftovers.

Ingredients:
Pie shell (I use frozen) 9″
1 cup cheese (I use a Mexican mix shredded but any kind will work)
1 cup meat (I use cut up lunch meat, turkey. But again, you can use any kind)
2 eggs
1 cup cream (whipping cream or half and half are fine)

Prick the pastry shell and fill with a few balls of tin foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, the remove the foil and bake for 5 additional minutes.

Layer the meat and then the cheese into the shell.

In a separate bowl, wisk the eggs and cream together and then cover the meat and cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.

Oh this recipe is great for holiday cookie exchanges, for gift giving and just plan eating! It is so easy. And a bit of a surprise comes from the ingredients (saltine crackers).

CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CRACKER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
40    Saltine crackers
1 c    Brown sugar
1/2 c    Finely chopped walnuts
2    Sticks of butter or margarine
12 oz    Chocolate chips
Pam non-stick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
1. preheat oven to 400*
2. Line baking sheets with foil and spray with Pam
3. Arrange crackers on sheets, one layer thick.
4. in sauce pan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
5. pour mixture over crackers and bake in oven for 5 minutes.
6. remove and sprinkle choc chips over top. Return to oven for 2 minutes to melt chocolate.
7. using a spoon or fork, spread the choc.
Sprinkle with nuts.
8. place in fridge to cool. When cool,
break into pieces.

Really easy bar recipe for holiday cookie exchanges. Cut them into small pieces because they are chewy and rich.

RICE CRISPY TREATS – PEANUT BUTTER

INGREDIENTS
1 c    Peanut butter
1/2 c    Corn syrup
4 tbsp.    Sugar
3 c    Rice Krispies

6 oz.    Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS
1. In medium saucepan, combine peanut butter, corn syrup and sugar; cook over low heat until peanut butter is melted.
2. Stir off heat, add in rice krispies, mix until all are coated.
3. Press into a foil lined or well greased 8×8x2 pan.
4. Melt chocolate chips and spread over rice krispies and cool.
5. Cut into squares.

You can mix choc chips with butterscotch
chips for a richer taste.

Designer labels and the stay at home mom - what a joke! I look at the price tags and think about how many groceries that would buy. I do enjoy style, I still look at the designs on occasion and pick out what I like. I just don’t buy. I traded in my style for peanut butter and jelly kisses you see. My perfume is now the maple syrup variety. And my cosmetics, although I still own them and do buy them on occasion, has been replaced with temporary tattoos and face painting! The art work collection I began as a college professor still hangs on my walls but it is masked with my daughters creations she tapes up all over the house. Using way too much scotch tape, but she enjoys it and it builds her confidence. My dinning room is over run with craft supplies. Our house is decorated in early modern toys. I still enjoy eating out and a movie on occasion but honestly if I get a free moment, I just want to take a nap!

Do you tithe? And if so, how much? I don’t mean a total amount but a percentage. Does it change as the economy changes or do you tithe first? For us, we tithe first and then pay our bills with all else. We believe this is what the bible tells us to do. Is it difficult? At times, yes. We don’t really do any extraneous purchases and it seems like we are having trouble making it at the end of the month. I have done what I can to earn additional income as a stay at home mom. We haven’t gone so far as to alter what we do but to watch and cut back where we can. I called the Internet Company and got our monthly payments lowered. You might consider Internet access a luxury item but given my husband is a computer programmer and can work from home and I was a college professor who taught online and can again, the Internet is essential to our work. The next bills I am going to look at are our phone and cable. We may do away with cable. But for now, we will continue to tithe first, pay bills second. I wonder if the economy will hurt the churches?