New Stovetop

Last night GS#1 wanted to make bacon bites (above). One word of advice, DON'T seed the peppers without gloves on (I speak from experience!!) The only thing that eases the sting fast is MILK! :) The recipe can be found at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking on her sidebar under "appetizers".


The photo above is my "new" stove-top. We located this beauty at a garage sale for $20.00, and DH installed it post haste! My old one was probably from the late 1960's and was harvest gold! When we first moved here and didn't have a lot of time to remodel anything, DH had spray painted over it with appliance spray paint in a cream color, but over the last couple of years the paint had begun to peel and the harvest gold shone through. It was a sorry sight and I wasn't sad to see it go!! UGH! Of course, this has now sparked a whole wave of me wanting to start "remodeling". I have located new counter tops at Home Depot that I plan to purchase soon, and I have shopped for a new color of paint (for the cabinets) to match. What fun!! We also located a "new" stand alone bathroom sink for $10.00, but that will be a photo for another time after DH has time to install it. I love finding great deals at garage sales!!!

Cranberry Pecan Bars

Last night I decided to cook supper, because we seem to be eating out way too much, lately! We had broiled Pork chops with Barbeque sauce, a quick tossed salad, pan fried red potatos and onions, and Cranberry Pecan bars (pictured) for dessert. I got my recipe for the Pork Chops and the Cranberry bars out of Taste of Home magazine, which I have subscribed to since they began. I have one whole kitchen drawer dedicated to just hold these magazines! I can look through these any time, and be inspired with something to cook!

New magazine, some crochet and cheesecake

I Got this magazine in the mail on Friday. Nothing much caught my eye, but maybe if I see someone else make something out of it I will get inspired.

I did another mindless crochet potholder over the weekend. I made this one a little larger than my last two.

And I did some experimental cooking on DH. Yes, he's still alive!!

DH loves sweet potatoes in any form. I found a Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe here and thought I would give it a whirl. The only thing I would change is that the cheesecake is not sweet enough for us, so I would add some white sugar to sweeten it up a little when I make it again, and instead of fresh sweet potatoes, I would use canned.

Tonight I am hoping to make some "Millionaire Candy". It is a recipe I got back when I first started working, years ago. A co-worker made them every year, and was kind enough to share the recipe. If I get them made tonight I will show a picture and share the recipe.

Pass the stuffing, please!

The turkey is in the oven cooking and smelling wonderful! I began preparing food for the big day last night. First, I threw together an old Thanksgiving favorite of my kid's, as my DD calls it, "the green pie". It is merely a graham crust, with pistachio pudding (thus the green color) and topped with whipped cream. It came about one year after my Dad had married his second wife, who was diabetic. I came up with this pie in the sugar-free version for her, and somehow it hung on every year after that, becoming a huge hit with my kids! It is always requested by DD every year, and the years I can't be with the kids, I know DD carries on tradition..... :). This year, neither one of my kids can be here, but I made the "green pie" anyway (guess it has kind of grown on me, too)!

DD also gave me a new recipe to try, a banana nut roll. I have made the traditional pumpkin roll for the last 2 or 3 years, so I guess when she found this recipe, she thought she would give it a whirl. She liked it alot and passed it along for me to try. I made it last night and it looks YUMMY! We are eating with our neighbors today (I was trying to be totally anti-social this year, and just be home alone with DH, but NO ONE will let us rest unless we go eat somewhere else!) :) That is what holiday traditions are all about, right?

I made jalapeno bacon bites and will also be taking a Broccoli-Rice Cassarole with us to the neighbors. Can't wait to dig in! Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll!