Spinach squares

 20 oz frozen chopped spinach, drained and excess water squeezed out

1 c. all purpose flour

1 t. salt 

1 t. baking powder

1 lb pepper jack cheese, shredded (can use plan monterey jack if desired

1/2 c. chopped onion

3 eggs

1 c. milk

4 T. salted butter

Preheat oven to 350 and place butter in 9 x13 to meld. 

Mix spinach with dry ingredients followed by wet ingredients and cheese. 

Place in melted butter and smooth. Bake 40-50 mins. Should be slightly browned and bubbling around the edge. 

Cool completely!!! Cut into small 1-2 inch squares and serve or store. Freeze beautifully after cut in a simple zipper storage bag. 

Reheat from frozen at 350 for approximately 15 mins. 

Is anyone out there?

 A lot has happened since I was here last.  I really don't know where to begin, but I do feel the itch to create a space with my online friends again.  Since my last time here many of the people I started with went on to become famous, rich or both.  When I started my blogging it was a stress reliever when I was going through nursing school and blogging was a pretty new thing.  Let's face it there were many new items of technology that were blooming and it almost seems surreal now to imaging life before iphones, ipads, twitter, pinterest, etc. Some days I cannot imaging life before those things.  I am tinkering with the idea of firing up the old blog or whether I want to start a new one altogether. These days there are so many platforms and opportunities, but the thing that remains the same is the desire to just dive in to share things.  I know more than I did when I started so I think I may do a better job...or not.  Let me see how this feels and if I get any feedback to decide.  I can tell already that I have missed this.  Thanks for listening to the thoughts in my head. 

Stuffed Pepper Soup aka Hamburger Rice Soup for the picky eaters

(photo from Skinny taste.com - not sure if this site has a similar recipe, but this photo is closest to the recipe.)

1 lb. ground beef

3 c. water

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Basil and Oregano (undrained)

1 large green pepper, chopped

3 T. packed brown sugar

1 ½ t. salt

½  t. pepper

2 cubes beef bouillon 

1 cup white Minute rice

Brown Ground beef

Chop Green Pepper

After beef is cooked, drain and add everything except rice and simmer 25-30 minutes.

Add rice, cover and remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes for rice to cook. 

Stir and enjoy!

I

How I spent my birthday

My birthday has passed, but I want to remember this one not for my age but for the meaning of life.  I did not expect my mom to die this year and I know no one ever knows when the end is near.  My mom always told me she wanted to be cremated and her ashes spread across Pilot Mountain which is her hometown.  To honor her on my birthday which is after all the day she became my mother I did just that.  Go rest high on that mountain, your time here on earth is done.  Miss you mom!

Pioneer Woman

I will be having this soon.  If I know my mom this is what she would have gotten me for my birthday or Christmas this year.  I miss her every day.

Oh how I love the smell of clean laundry....

My newest favorite combination is the Mountain Spring Tide with the Original Snuggle.

My second favorite combination is Wisk with this original Lavendar Snuggle which has become hard to find.

My third favorite is Gain with Gain fabric softener. 

I love pretty much anything that is Gain scented and now they have many products to choose from.  I will use one of these combinations until I start not noticing the smell and then I switch and use one of the other favorites for a while.  There is nothing like the smell of clean sheets when you crawl in bed after a hard day.

Duck Dynasty

Love me some Duck Dynasty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Yogurt EVER!!!!

These yogurts are so awesome!  I am hooked on the key lime crumble and the coconut almond.  If you know me you know that yogurt is not usually my snack of choice, but this stuff is really good.  I was eating Key Lime by Oikos before this, but now I have a new love.

Trying to get back into blogging about random things again.  :)

Getting back on the horse...

What a summer....


My luck this summer kind of sucked.  I wanted to write this blog so I can move on with the next chapter of my life.  I started this blog to record family recipes and new ones I want to try.  At times I share some of the events in my life so I can remember them.  This summer will not be one I will forget, but I feel I need to write it out to move on.

It started when I fell down the entire flight of wooden steps in my house a couple of months ago and it went downhill from there.  I got a new car- then someone crashed into it.  I had a bad rash that went on for weeks.  The biggest event was the death of my mom which was unexpected.  Devastation is slow process that does not hit you at once, but more like a slow painful process that just goes deeper and deeper as the days go on.  While in my stupor state I managed to gracefully slip on a sidewalk and break my first bone and land myself out of work and in a cast for weeks.  While struggling to grieve I was forced to sit and be at the mercy of others for my care.  My moms house to empty, work being missed, crutches, pain, thank you cards to write, bills to pay, stuff piling in around me.  What a time this has been.  On top of it all the life insurance has raked me over the coals on an almost daily basis and are probably going to not pay her policy.  As I write this I am slowly starting to function and not feel like I am in a total fog for each of the 24 hours I have been granted, but the process is still slow.  Grief sucks!  I am determined to get back on the horse and get my life back together because that is what my mom would want and expect from me.  I miss her more than words can express.  Fall will be better and winter even better.  Prayer helps!  I will get through this.  One day at a time.

Ham and Noodles

(photo and recipe from meg duerksens "whatever" blog.

Ham and Noodles

1 can cream of chicken or other cream of… soup

1 c. cream

1 c. milk

2 T. butter

3 T. Parmesan cheese

½ t. onion powder

1 t. Italian seasoning

2 T. parsley flakes

2 c. cubed ham

3 T. cornstarch

½ c. milk

Mix all ingredients except last 3 in saucepan with whisk.

After it is all mixed well, add ham.

Simmer 20 minutes.

Combine cornstarch with milk until combined.

Add to sauce and stir to thicken for a few minutes.

Serve over hot noodles or spaghetti.