Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Up

Happy Wednesday! How are you? Have you had a good summer? Are you ready to roll back into the fall/school routine? Routine. What a nice, safe word that sounds like... :D This year has been all OVER the place at our house, and "routine" days have been few and far between.

SO. Today's recipe is for a Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Up from Melissa's Recipes.

I made this as an easy take-along dinner for some friends who'd suffered a sudden loss. (This has been a ROUGH year for many of my loved ones. :( ) I wanted to take them something that was easy for me, and easy for them to reheat, since most of the family had just come back from a long trip. I made them TWO of these - they've got four kids, most of them teens or pre-! - and made myself one to do for this blog post. :)

Let's see. The only thing I think I did differently was that I used a little less bacon per roll, but it wasn't a LOT less. The roll turned out to be pretty long, and wanted to break easily. I did wrap and transport both of theirs in one piece, because I didn't want the insides to come out all over the place! :)

This is what mine looked like on the inside. I got about a dozen pieces out of the roll. I ate these two for my lunch that day, and froze the rest - I wanted to know if it would do well if frozen. And YES, it worked wonderfully! I wrapped two pieces in paper towel, and heated for 1.5 - 2 minutes.

I'm NORMALLY a big ketchup person, but I liked the flavor of these without my ketchup this time. The filling - and yes, I know Velveeta's got lots of bad things in it, so I don't use it often at all!! - was really good and quite creamy. The crust held up well to the rolling, even where I was afraid it wouldn't.

SO. This gets a YES, PLEASE! And my friend came up to me Sunday and told me her kids were begging her to get the recipe. :D So let me know if you try it, and what you think of it! :)

Have a wonderful day, dear friend! BE BLESSED!!!!!!!

Shepherd's Pie

Good Friday Morning!

Can you believe I've been gone for a whole month already? Cooking's been an issue, because I've not had my own tastes and place to please and cook in. But that will change - we just got a place! :) I posted all about it on my new blog.

Anyway! Today's recipe is one I got for shepherd's pie from SimpleRecipes.com.

I more used the method from the recipe than the recipe itself, because I wanted to use up some leftovers. I seasoned and browned up the ground beef, added some leftover corn and frozen veggies, made some packaged brown gravy and poured over top of that hot mess. :D I put it all into a loaf pan, then put the leftover mashed potatoes on top.

It was a hit with the two guys I was cooking for. :D It was not something I'm dying to eat again. But it was filling, and Kenn's friend loves food like this. :D So take those YES, PLEASE!es and NO, THANK YOU!s for what they're worth. :D

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new?

This review is for Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp from SkinnyTaste.

YES, PLEASE! Wow, was this good! At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it - but it's got a nice taste to it, just a little spice - and I've been taught how to cook shrimp perfectly. :) And although it's simply awful for me, I LOVE rice - and since Asian dishes usually have rice or noodles, they're usually things I like. LOL!

Don't skip the cilantro. I know some people don't like it - and you can cut down on the amount if you need to - but it adds a bit of brightness and freshness that I think this dish needs.

I got my light coconut milk at Trader Joe's for 99 cents for the can - and have over a half can left for something else. :)

OK. I'm out of here. We're starting on our adventure today, after having been with my family for a reunion the last week! Please pray for us! :) Have a BLESSED day!!

Italian Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Onions

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!!!! Have you enjoyed your holiday season? Are you really stressed during the Christmas season? Wish you had it more together? Well, I recommend my friend Krisann, the Christmas coach, and our site at ChristmasOrganizing.com if you need help. Seriously - I've been working with her for 10 years, and she has so much to offer you!

ANYWAY. :D Today's recipe is one my sister found at Pillsbury, for Italian Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Onions.

I fixed this for dinner one night when she had to work a little later than normal; she'd already gotten the ingredients, and had the recipe on her computer. So I followed the recipe - although I didn't MEASURE anything, I stuck to the recipe. I wasn't sure how I'd like the sweet potatoes with the Italian herbs, but decided I did like them.

The pork was really good, too - I played with the time a bit, because I started it too high, but it turned out perfectly. ;D I'm blessed that way sometimes! LOL! I'm going to give this a YES, PLEASE! for its ease and pleasing flavor in a short time. Not a lot of prep work, either, which I am beginning to really appreciate. :D Thanks, Kelli! :)

OK, I'm outta here. The year is ending just as crazily as it began! :) Happy New Year, dear friends. Thank you for being on this adventure with me!

Pork Chops with Apples & Stuffing

Happy Wednesday! :) Tomorrow is Thanksgiving; I want you to know I'll be counting each of you as blessings. Thank you for coming to see what I make, and for letting me know when you do try something I post! :)

I know I said last week that I'd be posting some of my tried-n-true recipes from now until whenever :D, but I want to share the luncheon recipes while they're fresh in my mind, so I can tell you honestly what I think.

This is from BettyCrocker.com, and is for pork chops with apples and stuffing.

This is definitely a YES, PLEASE! recipe. The pork was moist, the stuffing flavorful, and overall it was a great, easy recipe.

I did everything pretty much exactly as written. We used no-added-sugar apple juice; I think, next time, I'll use half chicken stock and half apple juice - I don't think the flavor was so very intense with all apple juice, and I'd like to cut out any extra carb I can. :) I also didn't use sugared cranberries. And it was wonderful!

OK, I'm outta here! Soooo much to do, so little time. :D May your Thanksgiving find you truly thankful; may you be with family and/or friends, and find yourself warm, clothed, and fed. We are so truly blessed!

Gingered Chicken Thighs

It's FRIDAY!!!! Have you had a good week? Got fun plans for this weekend? If you're in the Middle Tennessee area, come see me tomorrow night; I'm working at Lebanon's Cedar Grove Cemetery Walk!

Anyway. :) Today's recipe is another Taste of Home, for Gingered Chicken Thighs.

I have to tell you: it took me a LONG time to decide this one got a NO, THANK YOU from us. It wasn't BAD, but neither of us wanted to eat the leftovers. :)

Now, I will admit that I used lemon juice instead of orange juice, but that's not what did it for us, I don't think. The flavors were super strong, but good - at first. It just didn't sit right, and when smelling the leftovers, it was totally overwhelming. (Of course, I'm not feeling tiptop right now, anyway.... :D)

Do let me know if it intrigues you enough to try it! I'd love to know what you think. :)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL weekend! BE BLESSED!!!

Lemon Chicken

Good morning! How is your week going? I hope well. I know each day has its own ups and downs - I'm concentrating on the UPS today. :D

So, today's recipe comes from Annie's Eats, for Lemon Chicken.

Now, I have to admit: I love the way some herbs smell, but I haven't discovered a way that I really like eating them very often. For that reason alone, I'm giving this a YES, PLEASE! It allowed me to use some of the beautiful herbs Dad grows, and we all loved the result!

I think the biggest reason is that it doesn't over-do the herbs. And because they're in the marinade, not just on the chicken.

This is a really lemony dish. We love lemon around here; this savory application really was enjoyed by everyone, which is a little unusual. :D

I served this with basmati rice (one of my FAVORITE rices!!), which I cooked with lemon zest. When it was fully cooked, I added more lemon zest and some basil. That right there's worth the price of admission! :D With a tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, it was a delightful meal.

I hope you'll try this! It didn't take long to put together the marinade at all. The reason my photo looks so different is that we didn't use chicken with skin. We don't do that around here much. ;) But you can see that the legs, which did have skin, did brown beautifully like the original photo. I enjoyed doing the platter presentation! I do love the smell of rosemary. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a BLESSED day, my friend! And let me know when you try something new!!!

"Rotisserie" Chicken Revisited

Good morning! :) I hope you had a great weekend. Did you try anything NEW???? :D

I wanted to fill you in on that chicken that I gave a NO, THANKS to when I did it in the crockpot. We tried it a different way. We cooked it over a bundt pan in a conventional oven, with root veggies in it.

I'm glad to report that it was MUCH better, very juicy and still tender. The dry rub's got a really great flavor, and I think it helps the chicken stay moist. I would recommend it now, with a YES, PLEASE! :)

OK, I'm outta here. I'm making a recipe to review for Wednesday! Stay tuned! And have a BLESSED day!

Chicken Pad Thai

Good Monday Morning! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new?

We didn't have a very good weekend. Please pray for my family as we walk through a devastating loss together. Thank you!

I *love* good pad Thai. It's so yummy - and Thai cooking is based on four things: sweet, savory, spicy, and salty. Of course, they are arranged in varying degrees in various dishes - and I am not over-the-top about ANY spice! :D (Well, if you consider cinnamon a spice, then I'm guilty, but....)

This recipe comes to us from none other than the Betty Crocker website!

Let's see. Did I tweak it much?

Silly me for even asking. LOL! I used noodles that are made from soy, so they're VERY low carb. They're also VERY expensive, so I don't get to eat them a LOT. I don't like scallions or bean sprouts, so I used  some carrot, a little mushroom, and a little celery. The sauce, I think I used too much lime juice - I used bottled, and just poured some in. :D I also used Splenda instead of sugar - I mean, I'm using those expensive noodles, I have to make the carb count actually COUNT! :D

I'm giving this a YES, PLEASE, although I like my sauce a little thicker than this was; next time, I may use a little slurry of arrowroot powder and water to thicken it a bit and make it stick to the noodles better. And I'm going to increase the red pepper flakes just a tiny bit, and perhaps add some Thai sweet chili sauce. :D (That's part of the fun in cooking for yourself! You can make it taste the way YOU want!!!)

OK, I'm outta here. Looks like I need to do some cooking to have something to talk about the rest of the week. :)

Be BLESSED. And tell your loved ones how much you love them. Life is too short.

Ravioli, Pioneer-Woman Style!

 It's Wednesday! Are you having a good week? Can you believe that this time next year it will be the beginning of a new month? Christmas will be coming FAST! :D

Today's recipe is courtesy of the blogger I think every other female blogger is secretly a little jealous of, the Pioneer Woman. :D She's got a wonderful blog, and you can catch her on the Food Network these days, as well!

I will tell you right now: her recipe and method both are a big YES, PLEASE! The photo below is in that clunky pasta dough recipe I reviewed last week. Even encased in that heavy dough, this filling was AMAZING - and I know I had to take her suggestion and get some wonton wrappers to finish out the ricotta cheese I'd purchased on clearance. :D

(I'll give you a free YES, PLEASE review of Pampered Chef's cookie scoops, too - the smallest one is PERFECT for filling these!)

I didn't prep them in any way but the boiling water, because I didn't want to waste any more ingredients on that dough. :D So I boiled them, and then dipped them in Prego.

I love, love, love this recipe. I'll show you what I did with the ones I made with the wonton wrappers next week. :D I can't give you ravioli two posts in a row, can I? :D

Try this filling. I'm pretty sure it will become a go-to recipe for you - it's easy and delicious!

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be blessed! If you find something you want me to try out, leave me a comment!

Chicken Enchiladas

 It's FRIDAY!!!! Got anything huge planned for the weekend? I'm going to tell you right now, this is a YES, PLEASE! recipe - you should take the time to make them this weekend. :D

These come from Pearls, Handcuffs, & Happiness. (Yeah, I know, but her recipes are fantastic!!!!! :D )

My tweaks: I needed more than the can of enchilada sauce listed - like maybe 4 ounces. I used low-carb tortillas that are made by Mission. (They cost an arm and a leg, but they're fantastic for when you NEED a tortilla!) I used brown rice, to increase the complex-carb count. And, finally, I used a Mexican cheese blend - it has the two cheeses in the recipe plus two more. :D And I LOVE cheese. :D

This recipe made TWO PANS of enchiladas. And ohhhh, were they good. They were moist, and steamy, and filling. We ate one pan, and froze the other. I'm SO glad to know they're in there, waiting for a night when we need something that will prep fast. They DO take a bit of time for assembly, but don't let that put you off. You seriously NEED to make these enchiladas. :D

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Let me know if you DO try something new, or if you put these together. Be blessed!

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

It's Wednesday! How's your week going? It's supposed to be getting warmer here; today's recipe is a no-cook recipe.

It comes via Green Lite Bites. It's created to be an entree all in its own; I used it as a side dish, but it's full of nutrition and freshness!

Believe it or not, I didn't change a THING on this recipe. :) It's a LOT of garlic; I used bottled minced, instead of doing it myself. I think it was probably a bit milder - which was good, because raw garlic tends to make me nauseous if it's too strong. Go figure. :D

I've made it twice; once for Kenn and me, and one for the infamous barbecue for Kenn's discipleship group. :D I let it sit longer when I made it for the party; the tomatoes were especially tasty! I can't say that chickpeas - AKA garbanzo beans - are my favorite legume, but they're OK. I like hummus, but I think it's because of all the other stuff you add in. :D

So, this is obviously a YES, PLEASE! recipe. It's now safely pinned to my "Favorite Recipes" board! :D Let me know what you think - or if there's something you'd like me to try and review for you. :) Have a WONDERFUL day! Be blessed!

Basic Pasta

Good Monday morning! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new this weekend?

I did - it was a big entertaining weekend, and I can't wait to show you some of those recipes. But today's is one I tried a while ago.

Here's another from a recipe website, AllRecipes.com. And it's for Basic Pasta.

I do not have a pasta machine, so that probably had a lot to do with this. I didn't care for it - it was too heavy. But I suspect a lot of that had to do with my not being able to get it as thin as it should have been. But this is definitely a NO, THANK YOU. If I ever get a pasta machine - or if someone wants to send me one to review (even if it's a Kitchen Aid mixer attachment! :D HINT!!), I'll try it again. But for now, it's getting gone from my box!

Keep watching! :) And if you have anything you want me to review, please let me know!!! :) Be blessed!!!

Lazy Sushi Bowls

Good Friday Morning!!!! Have you had a good week? It's been more like two really short weeks, right, since you had Wednesday as a break? :D

Today, I want to share a Foodie With Family recipe; some of her recipes are incredible, and she's really fun to read. I hope you'll follow her blog. :)



Let me tell you, off the bat, this is totally and completely a YES, PLEASE! for both of us, but especially for Kenn. We've already decided that the fixings for this will be in our fridge at the beach on a consistent basis. :)

There's a LOT of prep work involved at the beginning - chopping, slicing, shopping. However, once you have the basics, this comes together really easily! Since everyone assembles their own, with their own favorite ingredients, it's simple to put out. The ingredients are as fresh as you prep them to be, so YUM. :D

I have to be careful with rice, as y'all know, but we used brown rice for this first one. It's still rice, but it's a more complex carbohydrate. This dish really appealed to both of us because we could use what we each wanted. Our tastes differ quite a bit, so the ability to have the same type of food without having to compromise on what it contained was quite fun! :)

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Why not try this one this weekend? Enjoy yourself! :D And let me know if you try something I've recommended (or not!) how you liked it - or find something you'd like me to try! :)

Ham n Egg Cups

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

So, to proclaim some independence from breakfast - as a diabetic, I *have* to eat breakfast, and I HATE it. <sigh> - I bring you this recipe from Just a Pinch - it's a great recipe community. HOPEFULLY, I'll have gotten to go to the get-together Tuesday. (I'm pre-posting, so you're sure to get a post today! :D)

These got a YES, PLEASE! from both Kenn and I. I have to tell you: they're SALTY. The first time, I added a little more salt. The second, none - and the ham was salty! Kenn says it concentrates the salt, and I guess that's probable. The only tweak I did was to use a few fresh spinach leaves instead of frozen; we try to keep fresh spinach around, to use in place of lettuce on sandwiches, etc.

Well, OK, I fibbed. :D I just went and looked at the original recipe again. I used COOKED ham, not SMOKED. We don't like smoked meats much. And I also used 1/4 piece of an American cheese slice instead of shredded cheese. It's still cheese, right? :D I threw in a piece of high-fiber, lower carb toast, and it was a really nice meal!

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day - and try something NEW! :)

Spring Rolls

Good Monday morning! I'm on my way to a doctor's appointment today - nothing I'm looking forward to, I assure you - but let me share, so someone is able to enjoy this morning! :D

Today's recipe is from allrecipes.com; I use their recipes quite often, so when I wanted to try making my husband some spring rolls, why not choose their recipe when it came up in my search? :)

I found the rice paper wrappers *somewhere*; I can't remember where, but knew I needed to get them. Kenn LOVES spring rolls, and always orders them at Thai restaurants. Since rice is very high in carbs, I know rice wrappers are, so I don't eat them. <sigh>

These were really easy to make. Of course, I had to modify the filling a bit. :D I did have to purchase a HUGE bag of rice vermicelli, to get the noodles for filling, but I'm hoping they'll get used. :D I have more rice wrappers, after all.... I also didn't use all the ingredients suggested in the recipe for filling; Kenn's tastes are a little more adventuresome. :D So, I used shrimp, fake crab, English cucumber, carrots, regular basil, and cilantro - along with the aforementioned rice vermicelli. I left the dipping sauce recipe alone. :D

This was the first one, so it's a little sloppy on the end; I learned I need to wrap a little tighter. I really like the way the shrimp showed through the wrapper!

Kenn really, really liked these - even the dipping sauce, which he's never a big fan of. :) Two of these made a great meal for him. So, these are a YES, PLEASE! I pinned this recipe originally, and pinned another with different ingredients earlier today. These won't be the last I make, for sure!

OK, I'm outta here. :) Pray that my doctor's appointment goes well! <sigh> Have a wonderful day! Let me know when YOU try something new, or if there's anything you want me to try!