White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

HAPPY FRIDAY! Welcome to the end of August! Can you believe it?!? We're almost to September, the start of fall, the beginning of the snowball's roll to the end of the year! Time to start working on my Christmas open house... :D

But that's beside the point. :D

Today's review is for White Chicken Enchilada Casserole, from Six Sisters' Stuff.

(Hmmm. I can't decide how big to make the picture. This is probably too big, but the other way was too small!)

Anyway. (Can you tell I'm getting easily distracted today? :D ) This casserole got a YES, PLEASE! from everyone in my family - not an easy task for a recipe. Although I would have liked a little more kick - I thought about only using one of the two cans of green chiles, but I'm glad I didn't!

The filling was creamy, the chips on the bottom were crunchy, and the cheese was gooey. :D It turned out to be really pretty, too, I think. Wish I'd had some guacamole in the house... :D It was really easy to put together, and would make a really simple company dish, too.  Thinking about it, I don't know why you couldn't make up this casserole, perhaps without the cheese, and freeze it; your chips might get a little soggy, but I actually liked it better when that happened with the leftovers - its texture was more like an enchilada, rather than chips and dip. :D

OK, I'm outta here. Kenn and I are going to REST this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it! :) Have a wonderful weekend! Be BLESSED!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Tangy Yogurt Frosting

Welcome to Wednesday! :) How are you today? Are you having a good week?

This recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Tangy Yogurt Frosting, a recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

This one is a mixed one. I, personally, didn't like the cupcake. It was lacking SOMETHING, and to me, it smelled better than it tasted. The frosting was REALLY runny - I added an extra cup of confectioner's sugar, in an attempt to get it to spread better. Yeah, didn't work. By the time my husband ate it, it had pooled into the wrapper and dried mostly there.

Now, my mom liked the cupcake, not the frosting. My husband thought it was "really tasty", even though he swears he doesn't LIKE pumpkin. I just didn't tell him what kind it was. LOL

So, how to rate it. I'm going to give it a NO, THANK YOU; I might remember the icing as a glaze for something, but not as a true frosting. The cupcakes didn't last long before they started to grow mold - too moist? No clue, but YUCK.  If you decide to try them, I'd love to know what you think of them!

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!

Sour Cream Waffles

Hi! Sorry I was gone so long; I went up to Indiana on a whirlwind trip, and had to fit it in between rehearsals. I wore myself OUT, and have just been able to breathe again the last few days. Never fear, though! I've been cooking up a storm to bring you reviews! :D (You'll notice several are breakfast over the next few weeks. :) )

And today's is Sour Cream Waffles, from 52 Kitchen Adventures.

I don't have any white whole wheat flour, so I did half whole wheat, half unbleached AP flour. I also used fat free Greek yogurt instead of regular. But that's all I did differently, I promise! :)

As you can tell, we have a Belgian waffle maker versus the square waffles. It makes BIG waffles. :D

I like this recipe - which makes it a YES, PLEASE! I like the fact you don't have to beat the egg white and then add it in - my mom's comment was, "They're really fluffy!" For a waffle with whole wheat flour in it, that's pretty impressive.

There is nothing fancy about these waffles. I think the recipe made six; Kenn ate one, I ate one, and the rest are in my freezer for mornings when I don't want to have to think about what to eat! :D

OK, I'm outta here! Rehearsals are really starting to heat up; we have less than a month before opening now, and time will fly! :)

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!

Hershey's Cookies & Cream Premium Cookie Mix

Happy Friday!!! :D It's the first Friday in August; many of you have kids who've already been in school this week. Do you have big plans to enjoy the weekend, or are you going to rest?!? :D

I get samples a lot online; I like to try new products, and I need to remember to review them more often for you. Sometimes things are wonderful, sometimes not so much.

This is a not so much. Don't worry about taking your time to make these, please. I don't know if I'm more of a "cookie snob" than I used to be, since I do make most of mine by scratch now. I still use cookie mixes to make easy "dump cakes" and toppings for baked goods. But this cookie mix, I wanted to try in the way it's advertised - as a premium cookie.

To me (and my mom), there's a real chemical after-taste. I don't know exactly what it came from, but it was definitely there. Yuck. I mean, if there are chemicals or man-made stuff in my cookie, don't let me TASTE it!!! :D

So, thank you, Betty Crocker, for sending me the free sample to try. But I won't be purchasing it. No, thank you.

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!!!! Be BLESSED - and enjoy time with loved ones!

Doubletree Hotel Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Good morning! How are you today? I'm sorry it's Thursday, not Wednesday - the day just kind of ran away from me. :) (I had PILES of laundry to do!!!)

So I wanted to make Kenn some chocolate chip cookies. He's been working a LOT, and I like to have little treats for him when he comes home. He fell in love with my chocolate chip cookies before he fell for me, so I know I can make him happy with them. :) And I wanted to try a new recipe. So I tried these Doubletree Hotel Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Joyful Momma's Kitchen.

I've only stayed at a Doubletree once in the last few years; they don't tend to fit into our bargain-basement budget. :) I do remember the cookies, however - and these are definitely pretty darned close.

We gave them a YES, PLEASE! - I used my largest Pampered Chef cookie scoop, so the recipe made just over two dozen cookie balls. Because you chill them, I was able to only cook off a few - I don't need to be eating cookies, and I will if there are lots!!! - and froze the rest, to cook off as Kenn wants them.

Every bite has chocolate - if you look at the recipe, not only are there lots of regular chocolate chips, there are also mini chips. Yes, LOTS of chocolate. I might do this recipe with pecans next time, although they MIGHT make the cookie too rich.

OK, I'm outta here! It's flooding around us today; please pray for everyone's safety. Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!!!!

SISTERS OF LAZERUS: BEAUTY UNVEILED

Good Monday Morning!

How are you today? Did you have a good weekend? Oh, mine was BUSY!! But let me tell you about one of the best things about it: this book.

My friend, Paula K. Parker, and her husband are authors. I've reviewed one of her books before - it was a co-written book with G.P. Taylor. This one is a book that Paula has dreamed of writing for many years - and the story simply shines.

Here, watch the trailer:

That gives you a pretty good synopsis of the book, although the story of the three siblings is detailed much more, leading up to the event of Lazarus's illness and death and resurrection. (Which has always moved me, whether by tears or by goose bumps or by deep joy...)

This is a RICH book. From the beginning, Paula's descriptions and flow draw you into a world you might not be too familiar with - a traditional Biblical Jewish home. I've read many books and studied much of the Jewish history, and Paula's words immediately open the doors of the family home and draw me in. I could see, taste, hear, and feel the environment of this book.

Her characters, also, are rich and full. Empathy, sympathy, fondness, repulsion, irritation, joyfulness - all are emotions I felt toward the characters while reading yesterday.

Yes, that's right. :) I read it all in about three and a half hours. I couldn't put it down. The story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus is one I'm very familiar with. Paula's words brought them to life, and I couldn't wait to see where they went next. And you will find yourself identifying with these characters, probably all of them - their flaws, their dysfunction, and the love and acceptance they receive from Jesus.

Please, read this book. Get a copy for your girlfriends and your daughters. Don't skip the author's note at the end. Discuss it. Share it. READ IT. :D And allow its underlying message of love to sink in, deeply.

Buffet Pancake Dippers

Happy FRIDAY! Do you have a busy weekend planned? I swear, I think EVERY weekend is BUSY these days...!

Anyway. :D

The pancake recipe I reviewed already? Well, I used it to do these Buffet Pancake Dippers from Lady Behind the Curtain.

Don't you love my new serving dish? :D I put sugar-free syrup on one side, regular on the other - and we each had our own dipping cups!

I used turkey bacon. And I didn't like these much; I think turkey bacon has a strong flavor on its own, but the flavor did NOT come thru in these. I don't think it would have been any different if I'd used real bacon, either. So I'm saying, NO, THANKS! to these. It didn't save any time, didn't taste wonderful.

So, there you go! :D Have a wonderful day, and a wonderful weekend. Be BLESSED!