Monday's Menu: Outback's Alice Springs Chicken

This was very good.  The only thing I think I would change next time is the amount of the honey mustard sauce.  I love honey mustard, but it was a little bit overpowering for me.  Other than that, it was a hit with the family.  Another pinterest recipe going into the recipe book.

Here's the recipe:
Four to five boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.  I ended up using several boneless, skinless chicken tenders.
Seasoning salt
1/4 cup regular mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbs mayonaise
Pound of bacon
mushrooms
Colby Jack cheese

*Rub chicken down with seasoning salt, real good, then cover and place in fridge for thirty minutes.
*Fry bacon crisp, and crumble in small pieces.  I used a bag of the real bacon pieces you find on the salad isle at the grocery store.
*Saute' chicken four to five minutes on each side, or until turning brown.  Place in 9X13" pan.
*Mix mustard, honey, and mayonaise in a small bowl and brush over chicken pieces.
*Top chicken with bacon, muhrooms, and cheese.
*Bake on 350 for thirty minutes.
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Election Thoughts, 2012

I was privileged to help work the polls for our local Tea Party on election day.  Everyone on both sides, seemed to be very nice.  I did have one woman out of hundreds that passed by, be very nasty to me.  And of course she was an Obama supporter.  But I kept a smile on my face and treated her the way I would have wanted to be treated.  Wanna know why she was mad?  Because she lived in Asheville and couldn't vote here in Kings Mountain.  She wouldn't take my word for it and insisted on speaking to someone she trusted.  So I took her inside, found someone she would trust (lol), and she proceeded to tell her story, how she was spending the day down here and wanted to vote here since she couldn't vote in Asheville.  Now, mind you, she was absolutely RUDE to me.  But when she spoke to this man working inside, she was as nice as melted butter.  To her dismay, however, he told her exactly what I told her.  Boy... talk about mad then!  It was funny.  Other than that one incident, it was a very great night and I had a lot of fun.

 

Here's a picture of three of us working for and with Mr. Warren Daniel (right end), who won his seat for NC Senate.  So happy about that!!

 And here's one of us with Mr. Daniel and also, Susan Allen, who won her seat for County Commissioner.  She unseated the incumbent, who had been there fifteen years.  I was thrilled.  The person she unseated is such a liberal.  So I was happy she won. 

 Congratulations to both of these wonderful servants of the people!  Looking forward to seeing what they do with the time they have been afforded. 
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On a funny note, I saw this picture on a news website the day of the election and got a little bit tickled.  Obviously exercising his right to vote before hitting some totally gnarly waves, man.  And I totally dig the awesome red and white bandanna around the head.  All kidding aside, I have no idea who this cat voted for, but I thought the picture was great.  It made me smile.
:)

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Just in case there are people who haven't heard yet (LOL), Mr. Obama took the Presidential office, once again.  I would say congratulations to him, but I don't want to.  So... moving on...
I was really depressed that Mr. Romney lost.  And, like most Americans, are bitter at all the voting fraud, especially in Ohio.  There has GOT to be a better way to cast votes.  Especially with today's technology.  And don't get me wrong... I am NOT saying that voter fraud won the election.  I do believe that we live in a wicked and perverse nation and THAT is why Obama won.  People are thinking about themselves and what kind of handouts they can get.  Selfish. 
I had a hard time going to sleep, knowing we have to face four more years with this man.  Finally fell asleep and woke up all depressed again.
But one of the first things I read on facebook this morning encouraged me to LOOK UP!  For our redemption draweth nigh. 
Then tonight at church, Pastor preached a TERRIFIC sermon and encouraged us to hang on. 
His text was from Isaiah 3:2-10, which we see an offended Sovereign, God. 
There should be a contrast between us and the wicked.  We can't say we are a Christian and then live and act as though we are part of the world.  Which, a lot of those claiming Christianity that voted for Obama, fall under that description.  The Bible says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.  It's like Brother Hutson says, you can't have it both ways. 
The text tells us in verse 10, "Say ye to the RIGHTEOUS, that IT SHALL BE WELL with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."  AMEN!  It shall be well!!
And in Genesis, Noah and his other seven family members,were the only ones willing to take a stand in a very wicked and sinful time.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he was living a righteous life.  And therefore, was placed in the ark.  He and his family. 
Guess what, Christian!  We are in the ark while the rest of America will face the judgement of God.  For us... the Christian... all will be well.  We don't have to worry about what's going to happen.  We just get to live life, moving forward for the cause of Christ, and watch those who refuse to live the Bible way, go under. 
It's like our Pastor said, for the last four years our great nation, the America as we have always known, has been on life support.  And after yesterday's election, we have pulled the plug.  There is no turning back.  Bible prophesy is taking place and things are lining up. 
So look up, Christian.  Our redemption, truly, draweth nigh.
I'll leave you with the entire text Pastor read tonight.  Soak it in.  The WORD is truth.

Isaiah 3:2-10

² The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

³ The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

⁴ And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

⁵ And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

⁶ When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

⁷ In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

⁸ For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

⁹ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

¹⁰ Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

A Month of Thanksgiving, day 3

Nov 3... I am thankful for Bruce. He is a great husband and I thank the Lord, so much, for bringing us together, almost, twenty-two years ago. I have never doubted his love. I am POSTIVIE there have been times I have been unloveable. But he keeps on loving me. And guiding me. And I am thankful for that.
Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it."

A Month of Thanksgiving, day 2

Nov 2... I am thankful for answered prayers. God showed up and answered a much needed prayer for us today. And I thank those that helped us pray. Even when you didn't know what you were praying for.
I Peter 3:12a "For the eyes of the LORD are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers."

A Month of Thanksgiving!

Nov 1... I am thankful for the saving power of Jesus Christ. It is through Him, alone, that I am saved and on my way to Heaven.
(KJV)Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

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Election Day is just a few days away.  Let's vote THIS turkey out!

 

Monday's Menu: Outback Potato Soup

This soup was very good and so easy to make. Great flavor and perfect for the cold days ahead.

Here's the recipe:
*One 30 oz bag of shredded hashbrowns
*Three, 14 oz cans of chicken broth
*One can Cream of Chicken soup
*1/2 cup copped onion
*1/4 tsp ground pepper
*One package cream cheese (Not the fat free kind.  It doesn't melt.)
In crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT cream cheese.  Cook 6-8 hours on LOW heat.
About an hour before serving, drop in the cream cheese and let it melt completely.
Serve with grated cheese, bacon bits, sour cream...etc.
I made a skillet of cornbread to go with ours.

Definitely a keeper for the recipe book!

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This past weekend, some of the ladies from church ventured up the mountain to Mrs. Ava's house near Boone.

We had a good, relaxing time.  Most of the ladies went shopping Saturday morning, but three of us stayed at the house and did nothing.  Absoutely nothing.  Just sat and talked and had a good time doing it.

I'm thankful for the church family I have in my life and for the friends that I have made there.  They are a terrific group of ladies and a blessing. 

My sweet husband and I have been facing a giant lately, that only God knows about.  It's been a difficult past couple of months, and I really needed this get away to just let go of things.  It really could not have come at a better time.  I've been sick this week and, although I probably should have stayed home and taken it easy, I'm glad I got to go on this trip and share some laughs with good friends.  God is good to give us what we need through good friends and great fellowship, and lots of laughs!  After all, laughter IS the best medicine, right?

Here's a few pics from our trip... 

This picture below is for my friend "S's" son.  When he heard we saw deer up there, he really wanted to be there with us.  So, "E", this one's for you...  :D

Here's another one, "E." 

This little sweetie was perfectly content to lay down right in front of us and stayed there for a very long time.  We kept coming out to look at her and she was perfectly content to keep resting.

OK, "E," look at the picture below carefully.  There's a deer in there for you too.  Can you find it??

~~~~~

We had a family reunion after church yesterday.  It's always good to see those we don't get to see that often and catch up on things over the last year.

I made another recipe I found on Pinterest.  And Hannah made some cookies I found on Pinterest also.  I'll post those recipes later.  They were very good.  Especially those cookies.  Pumpkin spice!  YUM!  I'll probably make a batch of those for Thanksgiving at my Aunt's house.

After the reunion we had our church kid's fall festival.  As always, it was total chaos and fun for the kiddies.  And then we had an amazing service Sunday night.  Love it when the Lord shows up and just sits down in the meeting. 

And that was my weekend.  :) 

 

Bus Ministry Fall Festival, 2012

We had a good time last Saturday at our Bus Ministry's Fall Festival.  Mrs. Janet had the hot dogs and popcorn and all the game stations were in full swing.  Candy was the goal!

We even had a clown.  I didn't know who it was at first.  But I figured it out.

Before we got started, though, the gospel was presented and several people came to know the Lord.  It was a blessing to see a parent of one of our bus kids getting saved in the middle of all the festivities.

Sweet Na...

Sand art is a popular table...

And who doesn't like milking a cow?

We go through a lot of face painting too.

Harrison was in charge of the PLINKO game.  The kids just kept coming for that one.

And "F" was feeling cheesy for the camera.  I tried to get several of him for his daddy who is stationed in the sand box.

Pitching apples into a basket was giving Chey a workout.  They were throwing those apples as fast as they could.

Madison worked the Foosball table.  That was a popular game too.

Mrs. Rebecca and Mrs. Mott.  Two of the sweetest ladies.  I love them both.

"F" was pulling the clown's hair.  Nice.

And last, but not least, our sweet Pastor's wife.  She is terrific.

Had a photo shoot with two families this weekend.  One, of which, was shortly after bus ministry.  And then after that, we met up with some people for a bond fire.  Had a good time.  Also spent Sunday afternoon at other friend's home.  It was so relaxing and I still got my Sunday afternoon snooze before Hannah had to be back to church for practice.
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And on a "lighter" topic, I am down more pounds and am officially down into the next set of tens.  YAY!  I have plans for my before and after picture but want to lose about ten more pounds. 
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I didn't do a Monday's Menu this week.  I had a brain burp and forgot to take my list of needed ingredients to the store this weekend.  We were just too busy to try and get back to the store. 
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Fighting a chest cold right now.  Not feeling very well, but I'm pumping up on my vitamins and echinacea, hoping it will pass soon. 
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School is going great.  The kids are working double time right now so they can have a longer break over the holidays.  I'm all for that!  Just another reason I love homeschooling.  More holiday time to spend with my kids doing holiday fun things.  I'm glad they're motivated and working hard to earn those days.
~~~~~
And that's all folks!  Have a good week.  :)

Monday's Menu: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada

Well, I didn't think to take a picture before we ate today.  But I took one off of the blog where this recipe comes from.  She has some great recipes on here and I'm looking forward to trying more of them.

I liked this dinner ok.  Bruce, not so much.  He said the taco shells were too wet on the bottom for him.  The kids seemed to like it ok, but basically had the same opinion.  It sounds GREAT, it just didn't meet up to expectations.  You might know to do something different to make a dryer bottom.  If so, please share.  I would try it again.

Here's the recipe:
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups, grated, monterey jack cheese
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1, 4oz can diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray
The person that originally posted this recipe suggested several ways to cook the chicken.  Buying a rotisserie chicken and picking it off the bone, boiling it, or roasting it.  Once you decide on that, shred the two cups of chicken.  She suggested using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  I used my kitchen aid and I'm telling you, it was perfectly shredded!  What a great idea! 

Add 1 cup of shredded cheese to the chicken.  Here is where you want to add your seasoning (salt and pepper) if you boiled your chicken, to give it some extra flavor.

Place chicken mixture in each of your ten soft taco shells.  Roll them up and place them in your baking dish.

In medium sauce pan, melt butter.  Stir in flour and let cook and thicken for one minute.  Do NOT let it burn.  Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth.

Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Be sure not to let the mixture boil.

Remove sauce from heat and pour over enchiladas.

Top with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

If you'd like, turn the oven to broil and let the top broil for one or two minutes.  I did this, and it was good.

I served ours with refried beans and chips like she did.  Other than the bottom of the shells being too damp, they were delicious.  Any suggestions for the bottom of the shells?

Click here to visit The Country Cook.

Monday's Menu: Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Today's Pinterest recipe is Chicken Tater Tot Casserole.  You make this in the crock pot so it's really easy clean up on those busy days.  Who doesn't like that?? 

Big hit with the family.  My honest opinion is that it was good, however, I don't think it could be considered great.  My family, on the other hand, loved it and said it was a definite keeper for the cookbook.  The council has spoken and it will be added. :)

I tweaked this recipe to the size of my family.  I didn't really double it, but I did add a little extra of each ingredient.

Here's the original recipe:
One 32 oz bag of Tater Tots
One pound of chicken breast
1/2 cup of bacon bits
2 cups, shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus extra for topping
3 green onions
salt and pepper
3/4 cups milk

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and thinly slice green onions
Layer half the tater tots in the bottom of your crock pot
Top with 1/3 bacon bits, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 green onion
Add all the chicken on top of this and add salt and pepper
Layer on another 1/3 bacon bits, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 green onion
Layer on the rest of the tater tots, followed by the rest of the bacon bits, cheese, and green onions
Pour 3/4 cups of milk, evenly over the top
Cover and cook on high, 4 to 6 hrs.  Mine was done in about 4 1/2.  To check it, I just made sure the chicken was cooked through.

This recipe was pinned from Lisa's Dinnertime Dish.  I look forward to checking out more of her recipes.

Monday's Menu: French Bread Pizza

Monday's menu was French bread pizza.  The kids and Bruce loved being able to make their own pizza the way they wanted it and it was a big hit.  You can choose your family's favorite toppings and they'll have fun putting their pizzas together.  I thought younger children would love this idea if you have family night at home.

Here's how you make the French Bread Pizza:

*Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 
*French Bread loaves, enough to feed your family, cut lengthwise.  (We used two and a half loaves for our family and that made lunch and supper. :)
*Pizza sauce (I bought the smaller jars and we used one and a half of those.)
*cheese (we used grated sharp and mozzerella)
*Toppings (use your favorites.  We used sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers)

Layer your sauce on the bread, add your favorite toppings and cheese, and place in the oven five to six minutes.  Keep an eye on it.  It cooks pretty fast.  The edges will get nice and crisp while the center stays fairly soft.  ENJOY!

I found this on Pinterest from a site called, What's Cooking with Ruthie.

 

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There was a boy, about nineteen years old, that accepted Christ at church yesterday morning and then we had six baptisms last night. 

What a blessing to see some men from the mission and some of our younger children follow Christ into believer's baptism.

~~~~~~

We had a fellowship after church last night for our Sunday School class too.  It was a cookie social.  So needless to say, there was cookies and milk.  It was fun and we had a lot of good laughs. 

I have no idea what happened in the picture below but that whole table of teens was dying in laughter.

My friend, Sam, especially had me cracking up.  She'll read this and know why.  But, Sam, I have laughed off and on all DAY over what you told me.  Ohhhhh, you are wonderfully sweet and funny.  And I love you to pieces!!  :)

 





Prayer and Photos

We have our weigh in and church tonight.  But before we go there, we have some errands to run and need to stop at the funeral home.  My sister in law's father passed away this week.  My heart has really been breaking for her.  She was close to her dad and helped to take good care of him.  I am praying the Lord comforts her and her family with the same grace He granted us when we lost daddy.  Please remember the Newsome family in prayer.

 

I had a family photo shoot with a family Monday and had a great time.  They were so funny.  The mom and dad were hilarious and their four children a very fun challenge!  But I must say we did get some beautiful shots. 

I also had a shoot with a little foster girl in our church.  I can't post her pictures, but they are so good!  I wish I could share them with everyone.  She was so cute and at the early age of seven, she knows how to pose and cheese for the camera, that's for sure! 

While I was photographing her, we noticed a very old, large tree, standing all by itself in the middle of a freshly cut field.  So after a few shots on a hay bell, we walked down to the tree.  I noticed there was poison oak vines on the tree so I told the little girl not to touch the tree, and to just stand a couple feet away from it. Her "mama" spotted one lone poison sumac standing close to the tree.  But she didn't touch that either.  She did some poses and we got some nice shots of her.  But when we were finishing up, I looked down and realized we were all standing in poison sumac.  Nice.  Needless to say, we all showered and washed our legs good when we got home.  I got a text from the "mama" today saying that she and the little girl are great.  No itchy rashes.  And that goes for me too!  Thank you, Lord, for your blessings on me...and them.

 

I have a senior shoot this weekend and then I'll be spending all next week in editing and then next weekend, I'll photograph a wedding.  I'm looking forward to that.  I love weddings.

 



Monday's Menu: Manicotti and Cherry Lemon Sun Drop Cupcakes

I was trying to think of something to call my regular Monday blog posts, since I'll be trying a new Pinterest recipe for my family each Monday.  I saw someone online call theirs Menu Monday.  I liked it, but didn't want to copy-cat it.  So this is what I have.  For now. 

Today I fixed Manicotti.  I have never tried to fix it before.  My family isn't one for a lot of Italian dishes.  But this one sounded like something they would enjoy.  And enjoy they did!  They loved it.  There was nothing left this week.  My men devoured it. 

We are also not one for marinara sauce, so I used a jar of prego instead.  Not to mention I added more cheese. 

 

Here's the recipe:

One box of Manicotti noodles

one 15-16 oz tub of ricotta.  I had a brain burp in the grocery store and accidentally purchased cottage cheese.  Which worked well this time.  Next time I'll do the ricotta. 

1 lb freshly grated mozzarella

3 oz finely grated Parmesan cheese

Two large eggs

1&1/2 Tbs dried parsley

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 recipe of marinara sauce.  Or in my case, a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

 

Cook your noodles as directed on package. 

Mix the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, and pepper together well, and divide it evenly, stuffing each shell.  If you've never stuffed a manicotti shell, simply place one end in the palm of your hand and use a spoon to stuff the shell from the top.  Lay each stuffed shell, side to side, making a single layer in your 9x13 pan

This is where my extra cheese came in.  I placed a very small layer of cheese on top of the noodles, covered the layer of noodles and cheese with my sauce, and then a heavier layer of cheese on top of the sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until cheese is brown around edges and bubbling. 

Serve with salad and garlic bread or your favorite sides.

OH!  I forgot to say that I added cooked ground beef to my mix.  But you can add anything, really.  Pepperoni, sausage, chicken.  Or no meat at all.  It's your dish.  Fix it the way your family will love it.

 

For those of you who like Marinara sauce, here is the recipe for that:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28 oz) cans crushed Roma tomatoes (I prefer Contadina brand)
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan, simmer 20 minutes (This can be done while preparing the manicotti filling and pasta).

 

This recipe and others can be found at Cooking Classy with a Sprinkle of Fancy.

I also tried a dessert I found on Pinterest.  The original recipe was Mountain Dew Cupcakes.  But since I do live in the original SUN DROP capital of the world, I decided to make Cherry Lemon Sun Drop Cupcakes.  My kids went nuts over these.  And if you have small children, this is PERFECT for them to make for their class parties, etc.

 

 

Here's the recipe:

1 box of cake mix

Twelve oz of your favorite soda

 

Mix well, pour into cupcake liners, bake at 325 until done. (I never use paper liners.  I always spray my tins and the cupcakes just pop right out. 

 

I liked this because you can do away with the eggs and oil.  Which takes about 400 plus calories out of the cupcakes as a whole.  I must tell you, though, the cupcakes will be very moist and "tender."  So handle them with care!  lol 

When they came out of the oven, I immediately removed them to cool and while they were still hot, I brushed the tops of them with the cherry lemon Sun Drop. 

 

For icing, I made my own.  There was a recipe on the site but it called for five cups of confectioner's sugar and two sticks of butter.  Really?  I just made a glaze with a fraction of the confectioners sugar, a little bit of the cherry lemon Sun Drop, a drop or two of lemon juice, and a little 1% milk.  Yeah, it's definitely a sugar fix if you have a sweet tooth needing satisfaction. 

 

I think Monday's Menu was a success this week.  Now what to make for next week?