I love Recipes!

I love cookbooks and recipes. I collect cookbooks and recipes from many different sources. But there comes a time when you have to organize them. That time has arrived. It is driving me crazy when I make a recipe and we really like it, but I can't find it the next time I want to make it. So I decided to organize all the clippings and print-outs and such. OK, but how would be the best way? I have been thinking about this for a week or two and finally decided on a notebook method. I have a software program for recipes, but I can never find the time to type them all up. So the notebook method will work best for now. When we built the house, I had a 3 foot, floor to ceiling bookcase built in the pantry for all my cookbooks. I was thinking it would be more than enough room.....wrong. That area is full and is spilling over onto the pantry shelves. So here goes the first step to organize my recipes.


I purchased a brown notebook, some tabs, some scrapbook paper, and some sheet protectors. This afternoon, I started to work.



The steps I followed:
1. On one side of a scrapbook sheet of paper, I taped a strip on the front and back. These sheets are going to be my dividers for different categories. I taped the edge so they would not pull out easy once the holes are punched.
2. I trimmed the sheets to fit in the notebook.
3. I placed the tabs on these scrapbook sheets and inserted the desired categories....salads,
beef, poultry, etc.
4. Once the divider pages were in the notebook, I started going through the piles of recipes
placing them in the protective sheets and in the correct categories.
I think this is really going to work. I was so surprised by some of the recipes I found. Some were when we first got married and that was nearly 40 years ago. Maybe there is something to this organization stuff!!



Wouldn't you know I would start my recipe organization project the day "BEFORE" I start my diet and exercise challenge. What if I find a wonderful recipe I have been dieing to try? Why do I do these things to myself? I think I must subconsciously sabatoge myself. I promise myself I will be strong this time, it is only for 6 weeks, I can do it!! Please pray for me, I will need it!!! Have a great evening and be strong for yourself in any decisions you need to make.

Predict it...It Will Come!

Well, sometimes it will come. This was one of those times. 13+ inches of snow with wind ='s drifts 4 to 6 feet tall.



Not only were we house bound, but Ivey our Basset Hound was amazed. What do you do when you have 4" legs and the snow is 13+"?



Needless to say she got a bath and spent two days in the house with us. By Saturday, we were all ready for a break. She got to go investigate the backyard and Da-Da and I headed for town. It is pretty bad when looking for your husband some insulated boots and buying groceries sounds like the trip of a life time! I have thought about retirement, but when you get cabin fever after two days at home, I think I will reconsider.


Since I am starting my diet on Monday.......I made a chocolate sheet cake while snowed in and really enjoyed it. If you have the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, try the Chocolate Sheet Cake. It is great, just what I needed to get my fix of chocolate before the torture begins. Our school is starting the annual "Wellness Drive" on Monday, so dieting and treadmill here I come! Chocolate sheet cake will just be a loving memory, along with the snow days.


Hope you all have had a great January cause February is right around the corner. Dieting at Valentine's, what a disappointment. God Bless you all and stay warm if you have snow and ice!

Tired? How can I be tired?

I am so tired of these winter doldrums. I think this is a science word I used when my class talked about the equator, but I am sure it applies to me now. I am tired of not wearing flip-flops. I am tired of my winter wardrobe, or lack of one, which ever! I am tired of brown grass and flower beds. I think I have the beginnings of "Spring Fever". The local TV stations are predicting snow for Thursday- one says 6 - 12 inches, another predicts at least 5 inches. I would rather just have a slow rain so the ground can get the moisture and I can think it is spring and not winter. I seem to get "fluffier" in the winter and my heels are such a sad sight. God's word says "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1. So, I am standing on that promise and I will accept that it is winter and I will look forward to spring. Thank you Lord that you are with me each and every day, even when I want to speed up your natural cycle of life.

With that being said, I need to think of a good recipe to serve during the snowy weather. We have had stew and chili this winter, so how about "Santa Fe Stew" for something new? I really like this recipe. I have taken it to church potluck several times and the pot always returns empty, so I guess others like it as well.

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When in doubt, Google it!!

What is it about Monday's? It seemed like I went to sleep on Friday night and woke up on Monday morning! M1 and M2 wanted to come home with me after school, they needed a little more of Da-Da's Birthday Cake from the evening before. We, oops, I mean they were enjoying their cake when the phone rang. C1 and C2 wanted to come over for a little visit. That's OK, Bannie's Precious Angels are always welcomed. The kids stayed for awhile and decide to walk to Anz's house. The phone rang later and it seems that M3 had swallowed a penny. Now C1 was sure we should rush her to the emergency room, but I decided to Google it. Sure enough it says to get them to the emergency room for an x-ray. I called Anz back but M3 was not sure if the penny was in her throat or in her tummy or just where it was. Long story short, we decided to give her a drink of water and some crackers and let nature do it's job. Needless to say, Anz is looking for the penny!!!!! I love my life!!!

First Birthday of 2010!!

My husband, Da-Da, has the first birthday of the new year. Our family is growing enough that we celebrate someone's birthday nearly every month. This birthday is a biggie for Da-Da! But, we won't talk about it. The girls and I wanted to have a big party but he had all kinds of excuses of why we shouldn't. Oh, well. We will celebrate as a family instead!!

It's funny as we get older, I still think of us as the Kathie and Da-Da that got married nearly 40 years ago. That may be one of my problems--I see myself as the skinny girl that could eat anything and not the full figured, fluffy Bannie I have become. The mind can really play tricks on you or is it the trifocals that need adjusting????? At any rate, one tradition we seem to have established in our family is that we eat extra well when celebrating someone's birthday. Da-Da always requests a red velvet cake, so the recipe is following. My son and son-in-law also love this particular cake. What does it matter that I have red fingertips for a day or two!! Enjoy the cake and especially always enjoy your family everyday! May God bless all your family celebrations.

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Green Chili Enchiladas

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Made these enchiladas last night. An Artic cold front came in and the wind was blowing like crazy. They are predicting -15 degree wind chill for the next few days. Hurry up spring!! Back to the enchiladas-they were so good and took the chill off. They are even better the second day. Enjoy!

By the way, a great friend gave me this recipe back when I was in college in the Dark Ages!! Thanks Pat, love you!

The holidays are officially over, we are back at school. I can't really think of a thing I accomplished during my 2-week break, but I needed the rest. Santa brought us a dose of the "tummy bug" and it went through the majority of the family. Please Lord, let us be skipped over for the next couple of years!!

I didn't make any new year's resolutions--I never keep them. Maybe I will do better this year just doing the things I know I should and not by resolving to do better.

I wanted to add a recipe to my blog. What an ordeal. Which one to add?? Well, I settled on one that is a tradition at our house during the holidays, and sometimes during the year also. It is an "Apricot Preserve" cake. It is so good. You will find the recipe in the post below. I can't remember when I started making them, but I know it has been at least 30 years. It replaces the dreaded "fruit cake" that often comes to visit during the holidays. I hate that plastic fruit in fruit cakes!! This cake stays moist and is even great for breakfast. I hope you enjoy it.

Apricot Preseve Cake

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